bered with the cares of this mortal state than I could have expected. I have now the enjoyment of health, friends, food, and raiment. O my soul, bless the Lord! that though thou hast many times been cast down and disquieted, yet thou art enabled to rejoice in thy Redeemer, and to live on the grace and faithfulness of a God that cannot lie:> and though thou art frequently molested and disturbed by the adversary of souls, by a tempting and an alluring world, and by the depravity that still remains in thee, yet thou shalt not be finally overcome! The victory is sure-thou must still fight thy warfare is not yet ended-thou hast probably a thousand more con experienced any drawings of the Holy Spirit-whether she possessed the evidences of those drawings, viz. holy desire, love, prayer, and a willing obedience to the commands of Christ: this solicitude increasing, God was pleased to manifest himself to her soul in such a way, that her doubts were quickly dissipated, and her views of salvation rendered clear and supporting. "By the eye of faith," she writes, "I contemplated the cross, and the glorious victim that bled thereon; I was constrained to cry out 'O Lord, how sinful a creature am I' I was then immediately enabled to look to the efficacy of the precious blood of Christ, and found that it spoke peace to my soul: I then saw myself desti-flicts to pass through; but fear not, tute of all righteousness, and cast myself wholly on Christ; in this act I felt a joy and satisfaction that I cannot describe." for greater is he that is for thee than " There shall I see his face, Drink endless pleasures in.'" After this, she began to think of devoting herself to Christ by baptism: "I was willing," she says, "to do what I thought was the will of God. I wished not only to have a name to live, but to live indeed; to live by the faith of the Son of God, and to bring forth the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ. Having perceived that it was my duty to submit to the ordinance of baptism, I signified my desire to some friends of the Baptist denomination, and the church in Badcox-lane readily received me, a poor unworthy sinner, into fellow- This excellent woman was at ship. I have great reason to bless God length brought to that period in for that spiritual help and consola- which a lingering consumption adtion I have received from the mi- monished her, that the Lord was nistry of good Mr. Kingdon, and at hand. Her long converse with that I have frequently left public heaven had, through the influences worship rejoicing in my Lord and of the Holy Spirit, raised her above Saviour. I bless the name of the those tormenting fears which intimiLord not only for the comfort I have date the heart, and darken the prosenjoyed, but for the troubles I have pects of the sinner. Resting on the endured; because those trials have atonement of Jesus, and the protaught me many useful lessons, mises of an unchanging God, she humbled my soul, and helped me to looked across the gulf of death with depend on Christ for wisdom, righ- placid firmness, and waited on its teousness, sanctification, and re- brink with patience, till her heademption. He has been pleased to venly Father should call her home. provide for me a comfortable situa- Her hope, as she drew near the tion, by which I am able to tread grave, was not accompanied with the path of life with much less diffi- that expansion and elevation of the culty than many of my fellow-crea- spirits with which some dying betures, and am much less encum-lievers have been favoured, but she was serious, calm, and spiritual till she fell asleep in Jesus, leaving behind her a name embalmed with the richest odours of piety. I cannot prevail on myself to finish this account, without transcribing part of a devotional exercise, which shows the interest which this amiable saint felt in the happiness of her minister, and of the church of which she was so great an ornament. just, and good." Thus taught of "Till now I saw no danger night, Through mercy it was not long before he saw, that "Christ is the "O thou compassionate and lov-end of the law for righteousness to ing Jesus, who art ever mindful of thy church, and graciously inclined to supply the wants of thy needy children; thou hearest when the young ravens cry, and feedest them; how much more, then, wilt thou supply those whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood! I adore thee, blessed God, that thou hast heard and answered the prayers of thy church: when thou wast pleased to take away, by death, thy dear aged servant, thou didst send us another dear pastor May the Lord make him a long and lasting blessing to thy church; pour down the choicest of thy blessings on him and his family; may he at all times feel thee near and precious to his soul; may he daily receive fresh supplies of grace, that he may stand up with all boldness, and declare the whole counsel of God, with liberty of heart and tongue; may he feed on the precious truths he delivers to others, so that we may all rejoice together, and increase with all the increase of God." S. S. MR. WILLIAM CUBITT. every one that believeth;" and in him he trusted for salvation the remnant of his days. In the year 1792 he was baptized, and joined the Baptist church at Ingham, Norfolk. Living in a dark village, he soon felt a warm desire to be useful to his neighbours, and was very earnest in prayer to God for their salvation. With a view to their good, and God's glory, he opened his school-room on Saturday évenings, and read to them Mr. Burder's Village Sermons, &c.; frequently dropping very interesting sentences as he read. Not having a talent for preaching, he invited two or three ministers, who lived in the neighbourhood, to preach in his school-room, when they had opportunity; and much did it rejoice his heart to see several persons attend. But it was several years after, before the gospel was preached there on Lord's-days; as those ministers were engaged with their respective churches and congregations. In the year 1808, he heard of Mr. Allen, of Norwich, who was at that time disengaged : he came ; and, by his preaching, a larger congregation was collected. This sight much rejoiced the heart of our friend, as he had often prayed that the Lord would raise a cause for Christ in his MR. WILLIAM CUBITT was born native village. For several years he May 21, 1759, at Neatishead, in the found it difficult to support the county of Norfolk. He was brought preacher, as he had to do it chiefly up a strict churchman, but having himself; afterwards, it pleased the a brother-in-law a dissenter, a dea- Lord to send a person of considercon of a Baptist church, he fre-able property to live in the neighquently went with him the distance bourhood, who constantly attended, of seven miles to worship among and was very useful; other persons dissenters. By this means the Lord was pleased to shine into his soul, and to discover to him his state as a breaker of that law which is "holy, *The Rev. J. Hooke, of Ingham; J. T. Beard, of Worsted; and Charles Chamberlain, of Warwick. minister to preach a funeral sermon 66 also of respectability came to hear, | VOL. IX. in Christ. Frequently, during his Thus died this useful servant of 2 M 1 Review. The Confessions of an Arian Minister; containing a Narrative of his Conversion, and exhibiting his present Views of the principal Doctrines of the Gospel: in a Letter to his Son. By William Gellibrand. Williams & Co. Stationers'-court. THE triumphs of the gospel are not more visible in the conversion of avowed unbelievers, by turning them from vice and profligacy, than in that of those who have arrogated to themselves the title of rational Christians; when their lofty looks, and high thoughts, are brought into subjection to the obedience of Christ. The advocates of evangelical truth have been lately furnished with some splendid examples of its influence in this respect. We have heard of one who desired a Socinian minister to come and reside in the place where he dwelt; who urged as a reason, alluding to the Trinitarian doctrines, "that the whole city was given to idolatry." This gentleman is now resting his hopes of eternal salvation upon these despised doctrines! and the pamphlet before us affords another instance of the enlightening, humbling, and sanctifying effects of the doctrines of grace; which we suppose will astound the late friends of the author, and lead them again to exclaim against the spread of fanaticism and madness! As, however, Mr. Gellibrand seems to us to have produced sufficient proofs of sobriety and sanity, we shall gratify our readers with giving a short sketch of these " Confessions," hoping they will not be satisfied without perusing the whole. Mr. Gellibrand was educated at Hoxton, under the late Drs. Savage and Kippis, and the present Dr. Rees. He succeeded Dr. Price at Newington-green, where he preached two years; removed to Ringwood, where he remained several years; and in 1792 settled at Brentford, in Middlesex. Of this period of his ministry he remarks," that he felt little, or no interest, in the services of religion; that the cold, the dry, and the uninteresting scheme he had embraced, could not keep it alive in his soul; and, therefore, in 1797, he resolved on giving up the ministry, notwithstanding the earnest entreaties of his friends to continue it." He adds, “But no entreaty could prevail upon me to continue to perform services in which my heart was not engaged. I was hastening fast to a state of irreligion and unbelief; I was immersed in the pursuits, in the pleasures, and Oh!`sad to relate, in many of the vices of the world!" What an awful spectacle! and yet this gentleman was courted to continue in his office! What an idea does this give us of the state of religion in a congregation, which was satisfied with such a minister, when contrasted with the congregations of the Flavels, the Howes, or the Baxters, of a former age! "How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed!" Two years afterwards, in the year 1805, he left the ministry, and cultivated a small farm in Hertfordshire." Here," says the author, "I expected to find that balm which might heal the wounds of the heart; and thought that being removed from the busy haunts of inen, that I should be removed from the temptations of the world: but I experienced, in retirement, the need of religion to support my virtue, and found that nothing but the grace of God could either restore the soul, or preserve it from evil. In this state of apathy and indifference to every spiritual concern, I continued till towards the latter end of the summer of 1816, at which period, I firmly believe, that the first truly Christian impression was made upon my mind." The manner in which our author describes the means which, through a divine blessing, led to his renova tion of heart, and consequent altera- | rate heart, and a worldly spirit. The tion of sentiments, is very affecting. following extract upon this subject, Restoring family prayer, which had will exhibit the heart of a Christian' been long laid aside, and reading father: Doddridge's Family Instructor on these occasions, appear to have been attended with the most blessed results. Passing over much interesting matter, for want of room, we copy a passage which, for its beauty and simplicity, we think can hardly be excelled. In consequence of the indisposition of the minister, (Mr. Anderson, of Chalfont,) Mr. Gellibrand was called upon to take the devotional services of the Lord'sday. He says "I had not, for some years, prayed in public; I felt a degree of perturbation at the thought of standing between God and his people. The request was unexpected-the time pressing. I began the solemn service of the morning; as I proceeded, I recovered my composure I became warm and interested-I approached the throne of God-1 laid my hand upon the altar of the covenant and lo! the angel of the Lord took, as it were, a live coal from the altar, and applied it not only to my lips, but to my conscience, to my heart, and to my understanding. To my understanding, for it became enlightened; to my heart, for it was made willing to receive the truth; to my conscience, for it was delivered from the burden of guilt; and to my lips, for from that hour have 1 had utterance given me to declare what God has done for my soul. Thus I was lost, and am found-I was dead, and am alive -I was blind, but now I see. From a state of nature, I have been brought into a state of grace-from a state of open hostility, to the truths of the gospel, to a state of peace and love--from a state of darkness and delusion, to a state of life and confidence." With such feelings, we can easily account for the anxiety expressed by the author for the welfare of his son; who, it seems, has been led in a great measure, through the influence of the example and instructions of his father, to embrace the Arian scheme. We hope this young gentleman will seriously consider the admonitions of his father, and be speedily convinced, that the Arian and Socinian schemes of religion are only suited to an unregene "It is not, nor can it be, as many imagine, a matter of small moment what you believe, whether you are well grounded or not in the faith once delivered to the saints; and surely it is of awful concern whether you build your hopes of final acceptance with God on a just or a mistaken hypothesis-whe ther you erect your house upon the sand or upon a rock.” Sketches of Human Nature; or, Hints, chiefly relating to the duties and difficulties that occur in the intercourse of Christians with one another, and with the world. By William Innes, Minister of the Gospel. Second edit. considerably enlarged. When THE Lord of heaven and earth is stiled in the sacred oracles, the God of Peace, and all his children are assured of his approbation and felicitating presence if they live in peace among themselves. the Son of God came into our world, the Roman arms had generally triumphed, and her soldiers rested from their toils; the temple of Janus was shut, and peace dwelt among the nations. The Redeemer visited our world, having assumed our nature, to bear our sins in his own body on the tree, so making peace, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And there never was an instructor who exhibited a more impressive or unceasing example of a peaceful conduct, nor one who more carnestly inculcated its necessity on all who heard him, and emphatically on his disciples. The Christian religion is one of mercy and peace; and, at the birth of Christ, the holy, enraptured spirits of heaven, addressing the attentive pastors of Judea, said, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good wil! towards men." "As much as in you lies, live peaceably with all men," were the words of the Lord, and they exactly express the spirit of that dispensation of truth and grace which he introduced. |