IN the Quarterly Review for April 1824, there is a paper on the Memoirs of Scott and Newton, p. 2652, which can by no means be considered as a review of those publications, since it takes very little notice of the life of either. Indeed, the only thing to which the writer refers in Mr. Scott's Life, is the account he gave of a child, whom he lost when she was very young; on which the Reviewer animadverts, as he suspects it would have weight, with those who consider Regeneration as distinct from Baptism, whom he charges on that account with heterodoxy. He is unwilling to admit this child to have experienced any change, but what may be ascribed to the effects of very early education; and he seems to consider Mr. Newton's later conversion, after years of profligacy, as attributable to the same cause. He does not profess to ascribe them to their infant Baptism; and indeed it is probable that Mr. New ton's was as irregularly administered, as that of the archbishops Tillotson and Secker!

The case of Mr. Cowper is introduced early in this paper, p. 26, and again adverted to in p. 48. But surely it ought to be remembered, that this amiable man was first af flicted with insanity, before he had the least acquaintance with evangelical religion; while to it he afterwards owed all the happiness of the

VOL. XVII.

most comfortable period of his life. And when his malady returned, his distress was owing not to any sentiment of Calvinism; but to the violent impression on his mind, of an idea as uncalvinistic, as it was "unreasonable and unscriptural." Yes, it was directly opposed to one distinguishing article of his creed, as an acknowledged Calvinist. He still admitted the doctrine of perseverance, as to all other persons in the world, who ever had believed in Christ; but he considered his own as an exempt case, such has never had a parallel; for in the midst of his despair he continued to believe, that he once loved God, and that God once loved him, but conceived himself to be the only one that God ever cast off. With what shadow of justice can this impression, which was an outrage on Calvinism, he charged upon that system?

As to Mr. Newton, this Reviewer says, with reference to his mother's instructions, "We own that we should not be inclined to expect effects so negative, from such positive discipline, or to ascribe so much to the prayers, and so little to the instructions of a parent." Yet he adds, "We are much mistaken, if her lessons had not fostered in him an indolent dreary imagination, little suited to the real duties of life."

Now I was intimately acquainted

N

with both these ministers, for many years, and aver that I never knew men more laboriously engaged in all the duties of a christian life. Mr. Newton first invited me to visit him at Olney, in 1768; and from thence to his death, I always esteemed him, and Mr. Hall of Arnsby (father to Mr. Hall of Leicester) as my wisest and most faithful counsellors, in all difficulties. Mr. N. introduced Mr. Scott, very soon after his embracing evangelical sentiments, to my father, old Mr. Hall, Mr. Fuller, and myself, de scribing him, I well remember, as "the man, who he hoped would prove the Jonathan Edwards of Old England." My intimacy with him also, lasted till his death.

And verily, as these men were attentive to all the real duties of life themselves, so were they most earnestly concerned, in the whole course of their ministry, to inculcate practical religion, in all its branches, on their hearers. Though a Dissenter myself, yet I heard them both often enough to ascertain this: and their publications prove it, to those who had not the blessing of their personal acquaintance.

The Reviewer introduces a far longer account of Madam Guyon, than he has given of Mr. Scott, with what end he best knows. Certainly the established church was never blessed with a man, who more zealously and judiciously opposed Antinomianism than Mr. Scott. Nor could any one be more unjustly charged, with respect either to his ministry or his numerous publications, that they had a "tendency to divert the Christian's attention from right conduct, founded on pure faith, to a religion of feelings.... which will not need the evidence of good works." P. 48.

Another piece in this volume, p. 242, contains a similar nameless innuendo against the Calvinistic Dissenters, as fostering "that pride

which may trust to the imagination to furnish cyidence of personal election, and thus inflate the soul into a presumptuous Calvinism." True Calvinists, whether in the establishment or out of it, are careful not to encourage any one to believe his election on the ground of impressions on the imagination. We maintain that no man can ascertain his election any other way, than by proving that he has actually obeyed the call of the Gospel; nor can he prove that he has done this, or that he is a true believer in Christ, but by his following after holiness.

This Reviewer says, p. 27, “much error in belief and practice has arisen from not attending to the distinction, which sounder divines bave observed, between the extraordinary and the ordinary operations of the Spirit." But surely our ablest Calvinistic Divines have insisted on this distinction, as carefully as himself. We consider all pretensions to the extraordinary influence of the Holy Spirit, in modern times, as arrogant and tending to real enthusiasm. We warn our hearers against giving heed to impressions on the imagination, and making them the ground of their hope of safety; and against all new discoveries or directions, not already contained in the written word. We wish all the most zealous Arminians in the kingdom were equally guarded against the idea of an immediate witness to their justification, or sanctification, or even their being made perfect in love.

I humbly conceive that the assurance of faith, (properly so called) respects the testimony of God concerning his Son, and the excellence, glory, and all-sufficiency of the plan of salvation by him: for this every one has ample ground in the express declarations of the Gospel. He may well believe that Christ is able to save unto the ut

termost, and he may be equally as sured that he will in no wise cast out any one who comes unto him for salvation. But the assurance of hope, (which respects the personal interest of an individual in his salvation,) is not to be attained without Christian diligence: since it must be founded on a careful comparison of the character of true believers, as delineated in the word of God, with our own exercises of the heart, and their practical influence on the life. When grace indeed is in lively exercise, a formal induction of evidences may not be needful to the enjoyment of this inestimable blessing; but when this lively hope is not obtained by regular self-examination, yet it would bear the closest trial. As a person with an ear for music, may judge of the goodness of a composition, without a formal process; but still his taste would be justified by exact rules; and even if he could not explain its particular beauties himself, a more scientific person could easily do it for him. Or as a mother may know by internal consciousness, that she has a strong affection for her child, without an enumeration of proofs; but she could produce them easily enough, if it were requisite. Is it enthusiasm to suppose sincere love to God may be as sensibly felt? We think not, though if a man pretended to love God, and was not concerned to keep his commandments, we should set him down for a liar, who had not the truth in him. We think, however, that the or dinary influences of the blessed Spirit are infinitely more valuable, especially to the subject of them, than his extraordinary inflences. It is a far bappier thing to be a true saint, than to prophecy like Balaam, or to work miracles like Judas Iscariot. But though the ordinary influences of the Spirit can be known only by their effects,

in drawing the soul to Christ, and conforming it to his blessed image; yet by this effect they may be satisfactorily known.

Man is far off from God by na ture, he is very far gone from origi nal righteousness. And he that has returned to God, in the way of his appointment, may justly conclude that he has been led by the Spirit : for Christ expressly declared, that no one can come to him, except the Father who sent Him draw him. But if the Spirit has led the soul to Christ, he will also cause him to run in the way of God's command. ments. He that sincerely depends on Christ's obedience unto death, as the ground of his justification, will also regard his obedience as the pattern of his sanctification. "He that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." These are not conces sions we make to stop the mouths of our adversaries, but important truths which we earnestly inculcate on all our hearers. My dear departed friends were used to insist upon them continually; and God is wit hess that we do the same.

The Reviewer says, 66 man can. not distinguish between that love of God, of virtue, and of man, which proceeds from human principle and motive, and that which flows from the influence of the divine Spirit," p. 27. Will the Reviewer abide by his implied concession, that there is such a thing as the latter? Surely then it must be distinguishable by the immediate subject of it; and may become so, in a greater or less degree, by the judicious spectator. If a man loves God supremely, under a scriptural view of his moral character; as displaying all those excellencies which can excite veneration, esteem, delight, and gratitude; if he is charmed especially with the brightest manifestation of his perfections, in the redemption

that is in Christ Jesus; if the love of the Saviour constrains him to depart from all iniquity, and to live not to himself, but to him who died and rose again; if the love of virtue or true holiness be sincere, universal and intense, such as never can be satisfied till the soul is perfectly freed from sin, and conformed entirely to the divine image; if the love of man be disinterested, universal, and having respect principally to their eternal welfare, while we shew its sincerity, by alleviating their temporal wants and distresses, according to the ability God has granted us; then we are not afraid nor ashamed to ascribe it to the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The Reviewer says, p. 51, "Let our aspirations be intense, provided they are not esteemed supernatural in their sources, or made unpractical in their effects." Against the latter we should contend as earnestly as ever he could do; but God forbid we should refuse to give the whole praise of whatever is spiritually good, to him who work eth in us, both to will and to do according to his good pleasure. If ever we performed any good works, we will confess that " we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

We pretend not to search the heart, and expect to find ourselves sometimes mistaken, as to those whom in the judgment of charity, we supposed to be renewed in the spirit of their minds. But, while we admit, that God alone infallibly knows them that are his, yet we feel ourselves bound to treat those as real Christians, who appear to bear the fruits of the Spirit. As to such men as Newton and Scott, with whom I was intimately acquainted for so many years, I can no more doubt of their eminent and prac

tical piety, than of my own existence.

This Reviewer seems indeed to think, that the loss of all relish for the ball-room and the theatre, indicates as morbid a state of feeling, as the seclusion of the cloister, or the pains of the scourge: (p. 51.) As to myself I never felt any inclination for either; but I trust we may be fitted to glorify God upon earth, and to enjoy him in a better world, without trying any preparatives of this kind.

I verily fear the Reviewer only turned over the memoirs of these blessed men, to seek some ground for cavil; and must consider him as criminal in no small degree, in thus labouring to conceal from his readers, the continual attention they both paid to holy practice. This is peculiarly prominent in the Memoirs of Mr. Scott.

The Reviewer seems to agree with us, in his statement of the extraordinary operations of the Holy Spirit, p. 27; but in p. 29, when he refers to Mr. Scott's little daughter, he uses that term in a very different sense; as if there could be nothing special, and remarkably worthy of notice, in what we call the ordinary influences of the Spirit; so as to prove, by their effects, that they were the real cause of true conversion, and of all that is spiritually good in the human mind.

The great question is, do not the Scriptures in general, and especially the writers of the New Testament, lead us to this conclusion, that God can, and often does, effectually influence the mind of a sinner, so as to turn him from the love of sin, to the love of holiness; and from confidence in self, to faith in Christ? What else is the meaning of circumcising the heart to love the Lord; of creating a clean heart, and renewing a right spirit: of taking away the heart of stone, and giving