not only by the strictest integrity and uprightness, but by a noble ingenuousness of mind, and a disinterested generosity of conduct, which preserved him from all appearance of deceit and guile, and rendered him incapable of being guilty of any thing bordering on meanness, selfishness, or duplicity. His whole life was distinguished by active benevolence; his heart and his

Norton delivered the funeral oration; Mr. Mann, of Moreton in Marsh, Mr. Smith, of Astwood, and Mr. Price of Alcester, were engaged in the other exercises of the solemn service: several others of his brethren in the ministry attended, and thus paid their last tokens of sincere respect to their late dear brother and father in Christ, mingling their tears with those of a very large assembly, convened from Camp-hand were always open to the den, Blockley, &c. on the mournful occasion. On the morrow, Lord's Day, April 4, Mr. Coles, of Bourton, preached his funeral sermon, at Campden, and Blockley, agreeably to his above-great pleasure in encouraging mentioned request, from Psalms v. 12. A crowded auditory, at each place, were very deeply affected; thus discovering their affectionate esteem for his memory, and regret at his removal.

In adverting to some of the most prominent features of Mr. Smith's character, it may be observed, that he was generally very cheerful and affable in his disposition and deportment. He usually met his friends with a smile, which at once indicated the tranquil state of his own mind, and his affectionate regard for them. In the copious measure of providential and spiritual mercies conferred on himself and his family, he presented a remarkable illustration of the gracious assurance," a faithful man shall abound with blessings." Fidelity and affection were indeed happily blended in him, and this desirable combination, while it much adorned his profession, enabled him with greater effect to discharge his relative duties as a parent, minister, and friend. His general deportment in all his transactions, both in the church and in the world, was marked,

relief of the necessitous; he did good to all around him as a member of society, and especially to those of the household of faith, as a minister of Christ. He took

young persons of promising dispositions and habits, and in affording them all the assistance in his power. He not only gave them the best advice, but exerted himself to procure for them advantageous situations. In many pleasing instances he had the happiness to see these efforts, on their behalf, crowned with success. Many are now occupying respectable stations in society, for which, under providence, they were indebted to his kind patronage and recommendations; and, it is not doubted, but many will eagerly peruse these brief memorials of their departed benefactor, with strong emotions of lively gratitude to God, who raised them up such a friend; and of deep regret at the loss they have sustained of his wise counsels and affectionate prayers, which only ceased with his life. He observed the apostolic precept, "follow peace with all men;" and imitated the apostolic example, in becoming all things to all men, so far as he could do it without sacrificing the interests of truth, or violating the dictates of conscience. A truly christian

in the gospel: we all know to whom all the glory is due. Should these, my brethren of the establishment, gain ground of me, I can, and do rejoice in their success; I believe they will continue to increase, and pray that they may. If the building of the house of the Lord go on, it is of small concern who is employed." "My friend, Mr. E-, is more zealous and successful; I rejoice: Christ is preached, and known, and loved."

Mr. Smith's mind was formed for friendship; he greatly enjoyed the society of his brethren and friends. The writer of this memoir, and another of his brethren, had peculiar opportunities of observing this, and be

candour induced him to put the best construction possible on the views, spirit, and actions of others. He was no bigot, but felt and manifested unfeigned love to all who loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. He would have been far from calling fire from heaven to consume the most bitter persecutor, or the most daring infidel, but would rather have earnestly prayed, that God would give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth. He would on no account (had it been in his power) have forbidden any to promote the cause of Christ, because they followed not with him on the contrary, he was cordially attached to all evangelical ministers and real christians of whatever de-nefiting by it, in friendly internomination, regarding them as fellow-labourers in the vineyard, and fellow-travellers to Zion, and co-operating with them as far as eircumstances allowed. He envied not those whom he saw to be possessed of more splendid gifts, but was sincerely desirous that they might not prove a snare to them, and gave them, when anther also was in an eminent deopportunity offered, a word of gree, a man of prayer. There seasonable caution. He duly are, perhaps, few among the serappreciated the talents God had vants of Christ, who might with given him, and under a deep greater propriety have adopted sense of his personal responsibi-the language of the Psalmist, "I lity diligently improved them. The following extracts from his diary, may serve to illustrate these statements; "We have a truly pious clergyman come amongst us at Campden: I hope his labours will be greatly blessed. If the interest of Christ grow, I shall rejoice. I trust I can be happy in any state, if Christ be glorified, and holiness promoted." Mr. S and Mr. B- have been useful in these parts. We share their joy, and find the benefit of having fellow-labourers

views, at certain stated periods, in which they freely communicated to each other whatever was pleasing or painful in their experience and connexions; at which seasons, they could not but sometimes indulge the hope, that they had the pledge and foretaste of heaven itself. Our departed bro

give myself unto prayer:", or, who more uniformly adhered to his resolution, " Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray." Thrice a day he regularly retired for secret devotion; and so watchful was he to secure a portion of time in the course of the day for the purpose, that there is abundant reason to believe, that nothing but very peculiar circumstances of imperious necessity occasioned the omission, and that it was therefore of very rare oc currence. He likewise set apart,

throughout the whole of his ministry, certain special days for humiliation, fasting, and prayer; and it is much regretted, that the confined limits of this Memoir prevent the insertion of copious and interesting extracts from his diary at those periods, in which he records with great simplicity, and godly sincerity, his sins, his mercies, his conflicts, his hopes, his fears, his desires, and his renewed dedications of himself to his Lord and Saviour. When any of his children or near connexions removed to a distance, he always took a particular opportunity of committing them to God in earnest and united prayer; the recollection of which they can testify to have had a salutary effect on their minds, in subsequent periods of temptation and trial.

As a preacher, Mr. Smith was judicious, affectionate, and experimental. He was not inordinately attached to systematic theology; but he cordially loved, and faithfully preached the glorious and distinguishing doctrines of the gospel, carefully illustrating and enforcing their holy influence on the tempers and actions of all sincere believers in Christ. His stated hearers were constrained to feel and acknowledge, that the uniform tenor of his ministry made it evident, that he had determined to know nothing among them save Jesus Christ and him crucified; and that he preached under a powerful impression of the ab

which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. His sermons were usually composed with great care and diligence, and frequently enriched with striking observations, which at once evinced his intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures, and with the human heart. The same remark is applicable to his conversation. In both, a considerable degree of originality was often discernible.

It now only remains to express the hope, that the readers of this memoir will unite in praying, that all his surviving children may emulate the spirit and example of both their honoured parents, and be followers of them to glory; that all his surviving brethren in the ministry may, with increasing fidelity and diligence, occupy their respective posts till their Lord shall come; that all his surviving hearers may solemnly anticipate the future meeting that will take place between them and their late minister in the last great day; and that the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, may set a man over the congregations, who may who go out and in before them, may lead them out and bring them in, that they may not be as sheep which have no shepherd. B.. T. C.

THE

solute necessity of the influences DECLINE OF TRUE RELIGION

IN THE NETHERLANDS,
Traced to its Causes.

of the Holy Spirit to render his ministrations efficacious to the conversion of sinners, and to the edification and establishment of those who through grace had believed. He was far from being a servile imitator of any man: he lished in the Netherlands, in thought for himself, and delivered

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine.
THE Missionary Society estab-

The widow of the late Rev. Mr.

his thoughts, not in the words Rowe has favoured us with this article.

I

sibly both their novelty and their interest will render the following translation an acceptable article in your Magazine. Should you be of that opinion, your inserting it will oblige

Yours sincerely,

H. W. ROWE.

1799, hold their annual meetings at Rotterdam; at which time the report of proceedings during the former year is read, and a sermon is delivered on subjects connected with the mission. These sermons, which breathe -fervent zeal in the interest of religion, and are remarkable for their simplicity and perspicuity, have hitherto been printed.-In rent of luxury among a people "Prosperity usually is the paJuly, 1814, when the banish favoured of the Lord; and this, ment of Buonaparte to Elba led with facility, erases from the methe friends of religion on the Continent to hope the causes of its This was precisely our situation mory, their greatest Benefactor. declension would, in measure, in former years, when our counbe removed, the venerable Ja-trymen generally aped the levity cob Engelsma Mebius, D. D. minister at Ryperkerk and Hardegaryp, in Frieseland, ascended the pulpit, and, deviating from the usual plan, boldly proposed an investigation of the causes of the declension of true reli

2

gion. He took his text from 2 Chron. xxix. 10. "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel;"

of the French, as well in manners and morals, as in their dress. This was accompanied with an eager desire for the perusal of novels of the most pernicious tendency to the morals of the reader; and Paris, with its perpetual fluctuations in customs and manners, gave the tone to the polite world, and to our country among the rest; so that scarcely an individual without an introduction into this school, and a rigid imitation of the rules it prescribed, could be pro

and after an admirable examination of the text in its connexion with the affairs of Hezekiah, and the Jews, proposed two topics to the consideration of his au-nounced polite, or be said to know the world. And what was the me lancholy result of this? Many bued with this French fickleness, young persons, with minds imand thus rendered incapable of

dience.

I. The deep declension among them in religion, and some of the principal causes of the same, whereby the rod of God's indignation has been and is still me-that earnest feeling of ancestral rited. II. The ground of expectatues of humility, gravity, frugalpiety; of those Netherland virtion that their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, if it is commenced, advanced, and completed with zeal, and a regard to the divine glory.

The facts stated under the first observation, are not all of them generally known in England; but their operation as probable causes of decay in religion, are so judiciously examined, that pos

ity, good faith, chastity, industry, and similar graces, the genuine offspring of the religion of our forefathers, became crowded with this, that while our youth haughtheir antagonist vices. Add to tily turned away from the good old ways their fathers trod, and conceived their knowledge of the world to be much superior, they not only sacrificed their time,

their industry, and the property formerly acquired, but that most important branch of all true science of the world, the knowledge and confession of the great Creator, of whom are all things, and we in him, and of Jesus Christ, who became incarnate for our salvation, and by whom are all things, and we by him, and of the relation in which every creature stands to him. These great truths our youth too much despised and neglected.

revelation from the garb of hu man superstitions in which they were attired, and thus the way was prepared to exhibit the one as well as the other to the ridicule of the age, and, as is well known, there followed not only a contemptuous rejection of all the sublime truths of the religion of Jesus, but likewise atheism itself.

"Their writings composed in a popular style, and replete with strokes of wit, and with dogmas which gained assent by the surprise they excited, found their way to these parts; and, in consequence of that levity which had prevented them from earnestly

"Another, and a still greater evil necessarily places itself as the companion of that first named. This was requisite on the one hand to confirm the fickle-investigating the evidences of the ness and pride of the age, by a Christian religion, and a strong combination of forces, and, on prepossession in favour of every the other, to weaken the influence thing called French, induced by of religion, and by that means to the high opinion formed of their open a great and effectual door language, manners, and customs, for the admission of every species these mischievous books were of depravity in morals. In read with avidity, and circuFrance, the doctrines of religion lated in every direction. It now had been concealed by the nu- became almost indispensable to merous appendices of supersti- good taste, to make sport, if not tion, and, when men of discern- of all religions, at least of that ment in this age, who called which is revealed; and a sprightthemselves philosophers, observ-ly sally of wit against the Bible, ed how contemptible and pernicious this caricatured religion was, they sharpened their pens and employed their acumen against it; against the collusion of priests, and the intolerance and multifarious vices that were its offspring. This effort found acceptance, and opened the eyes of many persons who were too ready to be delighted with the opinions and the witticisms of these writers. This approbation confirmed the minds and courage of the wise men of this world. And being unhappily ignorant of the spirit of genuine Christianity, as well as blinded by self-conceit, they knew not how to separate the doctrines of

and its dogmas and sentiments placed in a perverted view, was pronounced the mark of a bril liant intellect. This was the method of exhibiting a superiority to vulgar prejudices, and of achieving the honours of a strong mind. It excited no surprise, that with such persons the public services of religion were either entirely omitted, or only attended occasionally, from habit, or for purposes of ridicule.

"Still, however, the admirable moral doctrines of Jesus, and his inimitable personal display of virtue, yea, of such virtues as could not easily be combined in mere humanity, and so inimitably expressed in the plain unvar