course with heaven, which has power to transform the mind, and to afford support and consolation under all the exigencies of mortality,a peace which passeth understanding; a hope that maketh not ashamed; a holy and spiritual influence, which engages their affections and purifies their conduct, and gives them, in some humble measure, to taste even here the happiness of that better state towards which they are continually advancing. To persons of this class there is nothing of weariness in religion. The question with them is, not how little of their attention they may without danger give up for the welfare. of the soul. They are sensible of the privileges to which they are called, and they love to dwell on the benefits which have been procured for them by Christ their Redeemer. They cannot escape the cares and troubles of the world; but their treasure is in another place, and they are contented to part with all the things which this world can bestow-its honours, its pleasures, its promises-so that they may obtain the pearl of great price, and be found at the last day at the right hand of the Judge. There can be no coldness, no indifference, in that mind which is truly awakened to the value of eternal things;-they are of a magnitude to excite our warmest hopes, and to kindle our best affections; and he is inexcusable in the sight of God, and must, if he reflect upon the matter, be inexcusable in his own sight, who suffers any plea to keep him back from the participation of the blessings to which every man is so freely invited.

III. And this brings me, in the third place, to notice the FOLLY AND SINFULNESS OF MAKING EXCUSES ON THE SUBJECT. This conduct is unwise, for it argues an entire misconception with respect to our best interests. When we consider that upon our acceptance of the Gospel depends the happiness, not of a few fleeting years, but of that state which will never end, it seems impossible for any reasonable man not to admit the absurdity of suffering the pursuits of the world to draw him from the concerns of another. There is no need of any extraordinary illumination to arrive at this conclusion:-it appears as if the mere belief in the doctrine of the soul's immortality would constrain us to acknowledge the importance of that doctrine, and to act upon. the conviction. We might expect every considerate person to ask himself, when reflecting upon this subject, "Can it be possible that I should so far abandon the common principles of reason as to make no account of a future state? Shall I live only for the present world, immersed in its cares, and fascinated by its pleasures, when I know that these cares will soon cease to engage, and these pleasures to delight me? Shall I esteem outward gratification a more substantial good than peace of conscience and the blessed hope of immortality? How trifling and how vain are the pursuits of this life, if contrasted with the realities of the life to come! What would be the benefit, if crowns and kingdoms were my inheritance, and God my enemy? What would it profit me, if I were to gain the whole world and lose my own soul?" And this conduct is not less sinful than foolish.

It implies, (1) A contempt of the divine goodness. Is it true, that in order to redeem us from the curse and punishment of sin, the Son of God condescended to suffer? Is it, indeed, by the means of his

cross and passion that we have the privilege of access to the Father of mercies, and that without the redemption which is in Christ Jesus we must have been left to inevitable destruction? Was the sacrifice of the Son of God the price of salvation? Is it by his death that to us are opened the gates of everlasting life? Did God commend his love to us in giving his Son, while we were yet sinners, to die in our behalf? And does he exhort us by his word, and invite us by his ministers, to come and receive the blessings which are thus wonderfully procured? Does he declare himself ready even now to communicate his Spirit to those who ask for it? To make excuses in such a case, what is it but to say that we have no regard for his condescension, and perceive not the worth of his proposal? What is it but to do despite to the Spirit of Grace, and to trample under foot the Son of God? Neither is this all. Such conduct implies, (2) a contempt of the divine retribution. We may flatter ourselves with the belief, that so long as we are engaged in pursuits not absolutely criminal, no charge will be brought against us: but it is remarkable that our Lord supposes the persons mentioned in the parable to be employed in things confessedly unexceptionable. The evil of their conduct did not consist in the reprehensible nature of their occupations, but in their refusing to come to the supper, although under the plea of lawful pursuits. And can we then imagine that God will suffer his commands to be broken, and his invitation to be despised, under the pretence that we are better enployed? Will an excuse like this shelter us from his indignation? We know from the Scriptures that none shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of the Almighty; and if we presume to lay down any other rule of conduct than that which he has prescribed, we are among the despisers of his will, and are trifling with his power. Let us not, while acting in this manner, indulge the persuasion that our purposes are blameless-that we have no intention to affront the Majesty of Heaven: this is only to say that we have not yet reached the last and most desperate state of hardened wickedness. What is the language of our lives? what is the just interpretation of our conduct? Can we find an apology for neglect which will not be offensive to God? Do we not offer the excuse in direct opposition to his revealed will? Is it possible to conceal from ourselves the fact, that for these things he will bring us into judgment? We may soothe a disturbed conscience with vague notions of the mercy of the Supreme Being; but is he not just, as well as merciful? and are we prepared to meet him as our Judge? The parable warns us of retribution :-I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. The day of recompense will, ere long, arrive. The deceptions which we practise upon ourselves will be exposed; and in the loss of happiness and heaven we shall find how awful is the condition of those who reject the invitation of mercy, and make light of the blessings of salvation. Let me then call upon you, my brethren, by the magnitude of the divine love, and by the present and eternal interests of your own souls, to consider with all seriousness and solemnity these important things. If there be any truth in the statements which have now been proposed to you, then how dangerous is that indifference, which we so continually witness, about eternal things. Have you no

Is it a matter of

care, my brethren, about your everlasting welfare? no moment, whether you be accepted or disowned by your Judge?whether you mingle in the society of angels and the spirits of the just, or be banished from the presence of God, never to be admitted to the marriage supper of the Lamb?-never, through all the ages of eternity, to be released from the sentence which consigns you to torment? Can we satisfactorily account for such conduct, that we who believe, or profess to believe in the revelation which makes known to us the realities of that world into which, by the very law of our nature, we soon shall pass, and which is unchangeable and eternal-that with all the promises and invitations of the Gospel before us, we should make light of these realities, and should excuse ourselves from any serious thoughts upon the subject?-that such should be the conduct of rational beings, if we did not see the fact in the experience of every day, would be utterly incredible. O how different will be our estimate of the matter, when we stand before the tribunal of Christ! What will the worldly man think at that hour of the riches and honour, the cares and pleasures of life? How will he be amazed and confounded at the thought, that for his farm and his merchandize, his worldly business and worldly pleasure, he had trifled with the interests of immortality, and bartered the welfare of his soul? Whether does it become us to sleep or to tremble at the prospect?-to frame excuses for delay, or to be fervent in spirit, and to be employed in working out our salvation with all our might? Are there any who doubt whether mercy shall, upon their repentance, be extended to them?-whether it be consistent with the purpose of God that they shall be admitted into his family, and partake of his favour?-whether their readiness to accept of his salvation will be met by a correspondent readiness on his part to impart it? Look at the invitation of the parable. With whom rested the fault that the persons invited were strangers to the feast-with the rich man who made the supper, or with themselves? Look at the commission which he afterwards gave to his servants. "Go out quickly, without the delay of a moment, into the highways and hedges, and bring hither the most helpless and dejected outcasts of society-go, and compel them to come in; use every argument of persuasion; tell them that they will all be welcome-that their poverty and destitution shall be no obstacle to their reception with me. Tell them how costly is my banquet, and how large my hospitality. Tell them that all things are even now ready, and that I send for them that my house may be filled." This is the purport of the divine invitation; and who shall limit the mercy and the riches of the Grace of God! "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; he that hath no money, come and buy : yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is goud, and let your soul delight itself in fatness" "If any man thirst," such are the words of Christ, "let him come unto me and drink he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

ART. I.-Six Months in the West Indies. London, 1826.

AN Episcopal Mission to the West Indian Islands seems an event peculiarly entitled to the notice of the Christian Remembrancer. In a temporal point of view, it is a wise and politic act of government; and the friend of humanity may fix his hopes upon it, as a measure eminently calculated to promote the welfare of many classes and generations of men. Christianity has indeed been always the established religion of our colonies; but in a society consisting chiefly of merchants and slaves, it was not likely that spiritual concerns should be very diligently attended to, or the golden rule very strictly observed between man and man. The existence of slavery is confessedly unfavourable to the moral improvement of the human character, and is at once the effect and the cause of barbarism in society. The masters, few in number compared with their vassals, are afraid of enlightening the physical force of the many by any kind of instruction. The multitude therefore remains ignorant and brutal, and oppression and suffering mutually degrade the tyrant and his victim. That such has been the state of things in our West India colonies, is admitted on all hands; and though the power of public opinion at home co-operating with the measures of government and the labours of humane individuals, has for some time been working a favourable change, there is still much to be done; many prejudices to be corrected; many fears to be allayed; much misapprehension to be removed; and, above all, much party violence and clamour to be calmed. It is on this account that we regard a permanent church establishment in the Colonies as a most auspicious event. The enlightened men of whom it is composed, besides the moral and religious illumination which they will spread around them, will form an excellent link of communication between the colonial authorities and parliament, and between the planters and the abolitionists at home. Being on the spot, and free from personal interest in the questions at issue, their testimony as to facts will be received with confidence, and their mediation submitted to with respect. Their presence and influence will controul the excesses of power, and support the authority of justice. The task-masters will fear to do wrong, and the judges will be ashamed to withhold or delay redress. A thousand incidental benefits will moreover arise from the permanent residence of a numerous body of English clergymen and their families in every part of the Islands, insomuch that we do not think it visionary to predict, that more good in every way will flow from this measure in a very few years, than has been effected in the West Indies by the

united efforts of parliament and the African Institution ever since the first abolition of the slave trade.

The Bishop of Barbadoes has not, we believe as yet, made any regular report; none, at least, which is before the public. Much indeed cannot be said at first, and a year or two must elapse before we can expect that he should have become sufficiently acquainted with the spiritual condition, the wants, and capabilities of his insular dominions, to communicate any full and satisfactory information to the curious at home.

Mr. Coleridge's little book is a sort of journal or narrative of all that was seen and done in the course of the first visitation. It is written in a smart and lively style, and as the author is the Bishop's cousin, and was his constant and intimate companion, much importance has been ascribed to his publication independently of its intrinsic merits. It has been every where read, and has met with abundant applause, and no more censure than it really deserves. The truth is, the author's imagination, which teems with poetry, is constantly running away with his better judgment; and the good sense, the humour, and real eloquence with which his book abounds, is impaired by a large alloy of flippancy and affectation. Even the expurgata editio, which now lies before us, contains abundant justification of this complaint. It is not however with the literary merits or demerits of the book that we intend to deal-they have been sufficiently canvassed by abler critics. Our purpose is briefly to notice what relates to the state of religion and morals; and to the question between the planters and slaves. We premise only that when it is considered how short a time Mr. Coleridge spent in the West Indies altogether, and how pertly he lays down the law or the fact on every subject, the reader will probably think it prudent to make some allowances for precipitation, for inadvertence, and for the ardent temperament of his author.

The diocese of Barbadoes includes the islands of Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent's, St. Lucia, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Christopher's, Anguilla, Antigua, and Barbuda. The Bishop and his train visited them all in succession. He met every where with a gracious reception, but saw probably many signs, on the right hand and on the left, that the office of Overseer of the Church was not likely to be a sinecure. The good sense of the present age has finally decided, that the only chance of working any substantial improvement in the mass of society, is by the gradual influence of education; and we are glad to find that this was one of the first subjects to which the Bishop directed his attention. To him and his clergy we now look for the regeneration of society in the West Indies. To them is intrusted the care of instructing the slaves and their masters; the former in the rudiments of moral and religious knowledge; the latter in the higher duties of men,