scarcely conceive a greater abuse. It subverts equally the rights of pastors and of people, and is nothing less than one of the worst relics of the papal hierarchy. Were every thing else what it ought to be in the Established Church, prelacy, as it now subsists, would make me a Dissenter."

There were four principal things which he set his mind upon. The 1st was, A Repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts, as unjust towards the Dissenters; 2. A Reform in the Commons House of Parliament; 3. The Abolition of Slavery; 4. A Reform in the Church Establishment, to secure to Dissenters, not merely toleration, but a perfect equality as to rights and privileges; or, in other words, that Dissenters should not be compelled to pay for the support of a church which they conscientiously disapproved, while they paid for their own ministers and places of worship. The first of these he only lived to see accomplished; but, had he lived three years longer, he would have found only one more to be achieved. His grand maxim was, "that there can be no perfect religious liberty without natural and political liberty."

I never knew a man who had so much of the spirit of martyrdom. "For these principles it was," he would say, "our forefathers, the noble army of the Puritans, bled and suffered, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods:" or, his other felicitous term, the "celestial nobility." Christian liberty was to him a sacred fountain, in which all the Roman Gentile virtues that immortalized the names of Cicero, Plutarch, Seneca, and all the old philosophers, are baptized and regenerated, and take a new name and nature: dipped in this living spring, they are planted, and flourish in the paradise of God.

XV.

CHRISTIAN INTEGRITY.

EVERYTHING in Christianity tends to enforce the practice of justice and integrity in all your dealings. It is the very spirit of the law which says, "Thou shalt not covet." It is impossible to lay down general principles upon this subject; but, in matters of prudence, last thoughts are best; in morality, your first thoughts are best. Where things are indifferent as to principle, we have frequently to calculate consequences, which requires a long train of thought and reflection; but in matters of conscience, God has not left us to such a process as this, for he has placed in the heart of every man a vicegerent, and whatever this conscience testifies at first is best; you may upbraid its voice, and may silence it, but whatever in its first movements it condemns, ought to be opposed. Your endeavours to resist it will be like labouring in the fire; always, then, in matters of morality, trust your first thoughts.

Persons are sufficiently selfish not to give sentence in favour of themselves; and, like every other faculty, conscience is liable to become darkened; but if the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness! It is putting out, as far as possible, the light of the mind, and leaving us in a state of abject wretchedness. It is suicide of the immortal part.

· XVI.

PREPARATION FOR HEAVEN.

[Peroration of sermon on No Temple in Heaven, when delivered in Broadmead, Bristol, Lord's Day evening, May 4, 1828. See the sermon itself, from Mr. Hall's notes, vol. iii., 199–203.]

THIS meditation should lead us to practical improvements, without which it is pursued in vain.

1. Those must be essentially disqualified for heaven who find no pleasure in devotion. This is the first idea suggested. The rudest barbarian is not more unfit for the society of the profoundest philosopher, not more unprepared to relish the refined beauties of poetry or art, than the carnal and undevout person is unfit for heaven. This is the relation, not of resemblance, however distant; it is the relation of utter contrariety and contrast: in such a case, all flows in a contrary direction. Without a devotional frame of mind, without any taste for the friendship of God, it is impossible to enjoy heaven. All that God promises is suited only to those that are sanctified; and who would promise that which cannot be enjoyed, that which must rather be the geatest annoyance? But what a weariness to many is the Sabbath-day! How ready are such to say to God, "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways!" No need of an arbitrary decree to exclude such from heaven; they stand self-excluded, because self-disqualified! By their admission into heaven, an order of nature would be insulted and violated!

2 What a reason is here why we should improve the seasons of devotion, and especially these Sabbath opportunities of religious improvement! When we consider how large a portion of our time we are necessitated to give to the affairs of this transient state, how dear to us should these moments of sacred worship be, when we may meditate on eternal concerns, and prepare ourselves for heaven! If we suffer these opportunities to pass unimproved, we shall not be likely to improve any others. He who wastes his Sabbaths will be too sure to waste the whole of his time for irreligious purposes, and will be condemned at last to lament his folly, like the great scholar who exclaimed on his death bed, "Alas, I have spent a life in laboriously doing nothing!"

3. Finally, how happy are those that love God and his service! They need not look into the secrets of heaven to see their names in the Book of Life; the mark of God is on their foreheads; the

proofs of their destination lie on the surface; the whole tendency of their thoughts and desires, their employments and pleasures, their sighs and sufferings, has been towards heaven: they sighed for such a state, they sought for it, they are fitted for none beside; none else is congenial with their character: and that inheritance is reserved in heaven for them; they shall be with Him "whom, having not seen, they love; in whom, believing, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." They have their fruit unto holiness here, and what shall be their end but everlasting life? They shall have an entrance abundantly ministered to them into the kingdom of the Lord; "good measure, pressed down, and running over, shall God give into their bosoms!"

INDEXES.

I. SUBJECTS.

The Roman numerals refer to the volume, and the figures to the page; "Mem." refers to
the Memoir, and "Obs." to the Observations on Mr. Hall's character as a preacher.

ABIJAH, early piety exemplified in, iv., 377.

ABRAHAM, his intercourse with Lot, iv., 367. His courtesy towards the chil-
dren of Heth, 370.

ACADEMICAL EDUCATION; its usefulness to the candidate for the Chris-
tian ministry, ii., 442. Rendered necessary by the existing state of society,
ib. No impediment to the growth of piety, ib. Extension of among the Bap-
tists, iv., 125.

ADOPTION; a privilege belonging to all believers in Christ, iii., 502, 503.
AFFLICTION; its universality, iii., 137-139, 140, 141, 210. Shows the fallen
state of man, and the Divine displeasure against sin, 139, 140. Religion the
only support under it, 142. Considered as a chastisement for sin, 143; iv.,
499. Its frequent inefficacy in that respect, iii., 143-145. Consequent ne-
cessity for Divine influence, 145. Need of its infliction on the pious, iii., 368,
369. Beneficial effects of sanctified affliction, 369, 370. Feelings with which
the afflictions of the great and noble are contemplated, i., 183. Endurance of,
iv., 498. Importance of submitting to God under, 501. Proper views and
improvement of, 506.

AGRICULTURE; its present depressed state, ii., 103.

AMBITION; its pleasures shown to be unreal and imaginary, iii., 383.
AMERICAN WAR; opinion of Rev. Messrs. Hall and Ryland, seniors, on, iv.,

48.

ANGELS; why called spirits, iii, 36, 42. Their wonderful powers, 36, 37.
Their moral excellences, 37. Their employment and office in heaven, 37-39.
Their ministry to the saints, 40. Power of fallen angels, iv., 276.
ANNUAL PARLIAMENTS; recommended, ii, 62–64.
ANTINOMIANISM, i., 389, 390; iii. (Mem.), 78. Its tenets described, ii., 458.
Character of its adherents, 459. Its progress favoured by the use of techni-
cal phraseology in religion, 460; by the undue importance attached to what
are called "doctrines of grace," ib.; by the deficiency of practical pulpit in-
struction, 460, 461; the latter shown to be the most effectual antidote to the
evil, 461, 462. Manner in which instruction was administered by the apostles,
contrasted with that adopted by Antinomian preachers, 462, 463. Antinomi-
anism fostered by unscriptural notions of the "conditions of salvation," 463,
464.
APOSTACY; reasons why the Jews who had been baptized by John were not
charged with that crime for their rejection of Christ, i., 388.

APOSTLES; probably not baptized, i., 303. Their authority, 311. Their suf-
ferings, iv., 183.

APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION; import of, iv., 566.

APOSTOLIC CHURCH; features of, iv., 393. Design of, 395. Condition of,
396.

APOSTOLIC COMMISSION; examination of the argument for strict commu.
nion founded upon it, i., 304, 305.

APOSTOLIC PRECEDENT· explained, i., 310; ii., 213, 214. Examination
of the argument drawn from it in favour of strict communion, i., 311-313; ii.,
215. Practical illustration adduced, ib. The argument retorted on the ad-
vocates of strict communion, 216, 217. Precedents of thought to be followed
as well as precedents of action, 217, 218.
VOL. IV.-4 O

APOSTOLIC WRITERS, the, iv., 645.

APPARITIONS; Mr. Hall's belief in, iv., 27.

ARBITRARY POWER, ii., 41. Approaches towards it in England, 85. Aj-
gument in its favour advanced in the "Christian Guardian," 102.

ARISTOTLE; his remark on tragedy, i., 82. His opinions on the foundation
of morals, 101 (note). The influence his authority once exerted on the hu-
man mind, iii., 416.

ARNSBY; Mr. Hall's visits to, iv., 30, 38.

ASSOCIATIONS; origin of the political societies so called, formed at the close
of the last century, ii., 56. Singular and unprecedented in their character, ib.
Unsupported by expedience or necessity, 57. Their unreasonable hostility to
the freedom of the press, ib. Their impolicy, 58. Their silence on the sub-
ject of political abuses, 58, 59. Their attachment to the principles of arbi-
trary power, 59.

ASSURANCE OF SALVATION, iii., 282. Its importance, 180

ATHANASIUS, character and usefulness of, iv., 136.

ATHEISM; its effects on the French Revolution, i., 38. Exposure of its pre-
sumption and absurdity, ii., 237.

ATONEMENT OF CHRIST, i., 266; iii., 22. Its importance, iii., 209; iii.
(Mem.), 22. Its efficacy derived from the mysterious constitution of the Re-
leemer's person, i., 275-277; iii., 502. Indistinctly perceived and imper-
fectly understood by the Jews before the advent of Christ, i., 379–382. Ex-
tent of its influence imperfectly known in the present state, iii., 318.
AUGSBURG CONFESSION; on baptism, i., 319.

AUGUSTINE; his opinion on John's baptism, i., 300 (note). His remark on
humility, iii., 149.

BACON, Lord, Mr. Hall's opinion of his works, iv., 15.
BALAAM, character of, iv., 373.

BAPTISM; instituted by Christ after his resurrection, i., 294. Implied a pro-
fession of faith in him, 295. Was administered in the name of Jesus, ib. Con-
nected with the effusion of the Spirit, 297, 384, 385. Its repetition in the case
of the disciples at Ephesus, 298, 386, 387; and of many who had been bap-
tized by the apostles during our Lord's life, 301, 302. Its necessary connex-
ion with the Lord's Supper denied, 307, 308, 406; i., 218, 219. The prevail-
ing opinion on that subject shown to originate in the corruption of baptism,
i., 319. Early prevalence of the notion of baptismal regeneration, 317, 319.
No diversity of opinion respecting baptism in apostolic times, 409. Essential
to salvation then, 417. Examination of the assertion that it is the evidence
of faith, 421. Obedience to Jesus Christ exemplified in, iv., 244. Spectators
of the ordinance addressed, 245. Candidates for it addressed, 246. Import
of, 388.

BAPTIST MISSION; letter to the committee respecting an application of the
Serampore missionaries, ii., 444-446. Observations on the best means of
raising funds for its support, iii., 257, 262.. Proselytism to one denomination
not its object, 493.

BAPTISTS; their sentiments stated, i., 291, 292; ii, 211. Causes of the prej-
udices against the denomination, i., 354–356. Improbability of its extensive
spread during the prevalence of strict communion, 358, 399.

BARNABAS AND PAUL, contention between, iv., 403.

BARROW, Dr.; character of his sermons, ii., 293.

BAXTER, Andrew; his work "On the Soul,” iii. (Mem.), 33.

BAXTER, Rev. Richard; character of his writings, iii. (Mem.), 79.

BEDDOME, Rev. B.; sketch of his character and talents, ii., 456. His hymns
commended, 456, 457.

BELIEVERS, friendship of Christ with, iv., 448.

BELSHAM, Rev. T.; character of his "Memoirs of the Rev. T. Lindsey,” ii.,
318. Tone of depression observable in that work respecting the progress of
Socinianism, 328. Mr. B.'s extravagant estimate of the practical effects of
metaphysical theories, ib. His assertion that God is the author of sin con-