chant to sell her charity, but a-faithful steward, acknowledging that what she gave was not her own but her Lord's money. She was, notwithstanding all her charity, carried out to a crucified Christ, desiring to be found alone in him and his righteousness, as earnestly as if she had not done one good work in all her life.

5. Her sincerity. This was as her under garment which she wore nearest to her. Her holy walking was uniform. Her religion was not like a drift snow which lieth thick in one place, and leaves the ground bare in another; but one part corresponded admirably with another: an happy symmetry appeared in her whole course towards God and man; abroad, and also at home among her domes tic relations. Few have had an higher testimony for piety from those that have lived near and long with them, than she hath from all that dwelt under her roof. She gave her friends great freedom in speaking to her of what they saw amiss in her, for she would say, 'Tis a great mercy to be convinced of any Another proof of her sincerity was, that her faith was wont to be strongest, when death appeared nearest. A little more than a year ago, she fell into a long swoon, which lasted about half an hour, without any hopes of recovery: but as soon as she came to herself, she said, I know my Redeemer liveth; and being conveyed to her chamber, she said again, I know whom I have trusted. The hypocrite's hope commonly lesseneth, as death grows nearer; and commonly expires before the man himself doth.

sin.

6. Her humility. This we may call her upper garment, with which she strove to hide her other excellencies, though their beauty was made the more conspicuous and amiable by casting this'veil over them, How meanly did she think of herself! She saw not how her own face shone while others beheld and admired. Ever complaining she was useless and unprofitable and did no

good, she never spake of her perfec tions, but frequently of her imperfections and unworthiness. How easy of access for the meanest to come into her presence! How affable, courteous, and lowly to the poorest! The law of kindness was ever on her tongue to her servants, or to whomsoever she spake.

During her last sickness, her pains were strong, but her patience stronger. Never was she heard to mutter, or utter any repining word; but justified God in all his proceedings with her. Yea, more, she was much occupied in admiring and blessing God for his mercies in her acutest pains and greatest agonies. How doth this blessed soul now sound forth the praises of God in heaven, who could sing them so sweetly while these sharp thorns were at her breast, and could keep her heart in tune for this high note, in her greatest bodily pains and dolours? She was not without assaults from Satan : it were strange indeed if he should not have considered this precious servant of Christ, and not offered at this time some disturbance to her, whom he had found so great and old an enemy to him, and his kingdom of darkness. But he came only to be beaten back with shame, and to add more trophies to her former vic tories over him. The last words which I found were spoken by her, before a sleeping lethargy, which in two days carried her off the stage of this life, scized on her poor spent body, were, How shall I do to be thankful? How shall I do to praise my God? Thus she ended her life, in the exercise of that duty, which was to be her constant endless work in that life into which she was now entering.

A few reflections are here added by the pious preacher.

Let us all be stirred up, he says, to give God the praise of those his graces, which he so abundantly poured into this elect vessel. Her light hath shined very radiantly be fore most of you. Think it not enough to go home and say, she

was a precious Christian indeed; but as your eye passeth through the air, and stayeth not till it reach the sun, so let your thoughts not stay to admire her perfection, but pass be yond her, and fix upon God the donor of all these good gifts, who filled such a poor earthen vessel with so much of his heavenly treasure. Let us bless God also who hath so happily finished her course. How much more than for any earthly good, should we be thankful, to see any of our godly friends carried safe to the end of this great journey, and landed at their heavenly father's house; not recovered from a sickness, which is but an adjournment of death, but to have shot death's gulf, and to be set everlastingly above it.

Let the excellencies that were in her shame our deficiencies. How may her knowledge in the Scriptures shame the ignorance of many of us! Her awful fear of God, the little reverence we have of the divine Majesty! Her zeal for God, our coldness! Her reverence in the worship of God, the rudeness of many! Her charitable spirit and large heart, the narrow and selfish spirits of such as, like the hedgehog, wrap themselves up in their own soft wool, and turn out bristles to all others! How may her humility, which hid so great excellencies in her from her own observation, put them to the blush who are puffed up with their poor pittance of graces, and much more those who are swelled with a fancy of having that which none can see they have! How may her patience under great afflictions reproach the murmurings of many, when they feel but a little smart from a gentle correction! To many then that mourn for her loss, I would say, Weep not for her but for yourselves, that you are so unlike her.

Let the high measures of grace to which this servant of God attained, encourage all weak Christians. You see how high she got in godliness. Tread in her steps, and, by God's blessing, though thou mayest not

come to her pitch here, yet thou shalt have far more than now thou hast. She did not grow thus rich in grace with idleness and sloth, but by God's blessing on her diligence in the use of means. She did not become so eminent by proudly thinking herself so to be, but by humility and poverty of spirit. Many would have been better, if they had not thought themselves better than they were.

Let those who are privileged with high birth learn, from this Lady, the best way to make the tribute of honour to be cheerfully paid them. Take but the same course with this Lady and her noble Lord, and you shall obtain it. Labour to be good, and to do good: be not afraid or ashamed to be religious: and then you shall be honoured by all but by those who refuse to honour God himself. I do not clear those of sin who do not give the honour due to his title and place, even to him that. is unworthy of them; but those whom God has placed high in dignity above others should shun all that may lead their inferiors into this temptation. How can he complain of others denying him honour, who, by his own profaneness and wickedness, casts more dishonour on himself than any other can do? To be dishonour able is as much worse than to be dishonoured, as sin is worse than afflic tion. The good and pious are sometimes dishonoured by the wicked, even for that which is their highest honour; but it is sin and wickedness alone that can make a person dishonourable.

S.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer, IF you think the following remarks on our translation of an expression of St. Paul, worthy of a place in your Miscellany, they are at your service.

In our Translation of the Scriptures, we find St. Paul speaking of himself in these words,-1 Cor. iv. 4. "For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified; but

he that judgeth me is the Lord." In the original, the words are dev rag qμauтw σuvoda, &c. which in the Latin versions are rendered (and I believe generally) "Nihil mihi conscius sum." Commentators also give a meaning to the words of the Apostle, which the phrase employed in our translation, "know nothing by myself," does not, according to our present use of the words, by any means convey. They represent the Apostle's meaning to be this, that he was not conscious to himself of any allowed sin, for which he should be condemned by his Judge. And that this is really the meaning of the original, those of your renders who are acquainted with the Greek language will at once admit.

Now, from the acknowledged abi. lity and fidelity of our translators, it might be a fair presumption, that they intended to convey a similar meaning by the words, "know nothing by myself," though these words in their modern use, express a different idea. But the following passage from Hooker, seems to prove that th: phrase, at the time when our translation was made, really meant what it does not commonly mean now; and that to know any thing, by ourselves, or by any other person, was then of the same signification, as to know any thing against our selves, or against any other person. At least it will be allowed, that Hooker employed the phrase in this sense. In his Sermon on Justification, 7th section, his words are, "If we could say we were not guilty of any thing at all in our consciences, (we know ourselves far from this innocency; we can not say, We know nothing by ourselves; but if we could) should we therefore plead not guilty before the presence of our Judge?”

Now it is perfectly clear that, in Hooker's intention, to know nothing by ourselves, is of the same import as to be innocent; to be not guilty of any thing at all, in our consciences.

Other authorities from writers of that date, might, I presume, be sup

plied: but this perhaps, alone, may be sufficient in your judgment to establish the point in question. I have been told that, in some of the northern counties of England, it is now common to say, they know no◄ thing by such a person; when it is meant that they have nothing to accuse him of. If this statement is correct, some of your readers may perhaps be able to confirm it from their own knowledge.

Having found several intelligent persons, who, ignorant of the obso lete meaning of the phrase, had af. fixed to the words of the Apostle an idea very different from that which the original language conveys, and which our translators also meant to express,-while I have met with others, who, on referring to the Greek, were at a loss to conceive why the words should be so translated,-I thought these remarks might not be entirely useless.

Will it be necessary to add, that this interpretation does by no means favour any opinion man might entertain of his own righteousness? The Apostle, let it be remembered, when he says that he knows nothing against himself, is not speaking of his having fulfilled all moral righ, teousness, and exactly performed all his duties. In this sense, doubtless, he, who called himself the chief of sinners, would acknowledge that he was "far from this innocency," and that he could not say he knew nothing against himself. But he is speak, ing of his consciousness of sincerity, before God, in his Christian profession and in the discharge of his apostolical functions; a consciousness which he frequently avowed; and which surely was quite consist ent with the most humiliating views of his own unworthiness.

M. R.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. SINCE writing the remarks on 1 Tim. vi. 10, (inserted in the Christian Observer for January last,) I have examined Parkhurst's Lexicon under

Hull, used to inculcate the simplest method of giving out a text, as the best. To illustrate this, and expose any attempt at novelty of manner, he would tell us of a divine, whom he once heard, who, instead of an nouncing his text in the usual way, began with observing to his hearers, that-" A very interesting caution, which he meant to make the groundwork of the observations, which he should then bring forward to them, was to be found on sacred record, in the 12th verse of the 10th chapter of the Apostle Paul's former letter to the church of Christ in the popu. lous and polite city of Corinth.”— Such affectation, (for it hardly deserves a gentler name) it is to be hoped and presumed, is very uncommon. May it ever remain so!

Φιλοπτωχος.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. THE Christian Observer, in reviewing "The Principles of Religion, as professed by the Society of Christians usually called Quakers," appears to want information on a few points, which the author is willing to give, without entering into any controversy on subjects on which they may differ in opinion.

The first doubt or question stated is, how far the work is accredited by the Society whose principles it represents. To this it may be replied, that there is a meeting in London, consisting of ministers and elders, to which the revisal of Publications, relating to the principles of the Society, is committed. The book reviewed was revised by that meeting, and allowed to be printed without a dissenting voice. To this it may be added, that the work has so far met the approbation of the Society, that two editions of it have been printed in England in the course of nine months. It has also been reprinted in Ireland and in America.

The next doubt, after giving a quotation from the book, is expressed in the following words: "If by these expressions our author only meant

to condemn a superstitious depend. ence on the letter of Scripture, independently of that holy Spirit by whose influence alone it can be understood and rendered effectual, we find nothing to disapprove. But if," &c.

To this the author replies, that nothing more was meant than is here stated: nor did the Society ever set up the dictates of the Holy Spirit, in opposition to the Scriptures, which they considered as proceeding from it. In proof of this assertion, take the following quotation from Barclay's Apology, prop. iii. sec. 6. "We shall also be very willing to admit it as a positive certain maxim, that whatsoever any do, pretending to the spirit, which is contrary to the Scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a delusion of the Devil." When this supposed "master-error of Quakerism" is found to have no existence but in misapprehension, perhaps the Christian Observer will think it possible, that some other supposed errors of the Quakers have no more existence than this which is here mistakenly imputed to them, and is even considered as their master-error.

References to the particular books, from which the quotations from Calvin, &c. were taken, are intended to be given in the next edition of the work.

The Christian Observer has.overlooked a passage in the book under review, or he would not have asserted that John iii. 5, was unnoticed by the author. The following que tation from p. 109 of the first edi tion will show the mistake, " Even water, as well as fire, is sometimes used figuratively." To "be born of water and the spirit," has been considered, and we think rightly considered, by some who believed in the propriety of water baptism, as figurative an expression as being baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Another explanation appears to be due to the Christian Observer

*John iii. 5.