flock to virtuous conduct, by placing a future award ever full in their view, instead of dwelling on the temporal motives rendered so prominent at that time by many of his brethren."

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Upon this statement Luther remarked that Mr. Crabbe, according to his son's shewing, " was deemed a Gospel preacher," because "though he adopted not what are called Evangelical principles," he "urged his flock to virtuous conduct, by placing a future award in their view, instead of dwelling upon the temporal motives rendered so prominent at that time by many of his brethren." If any injustice is done to the preaching of Mr. Crabbe, it is not by Luther, but by the filial biographer, who claims for his father the title of being Gospel preacher," because, instead of merely saying that virtue is its own reward upon earth, he told them that it would bring an award in heaven. Luther was shewing how awfully defective and delusive must have been that style of preaching compared with which Mr. Crabbe's was entitled to be called "Gospel preaching;" when even the higher style excelled the lower solely in appealing to eternal instead of only temporal rewards as inducements to "virtuous conduct." We cannot see that Luther wrote unfairly, or without an important object, in adverting to the vast blank in this definition of "Gospel preaching," in which he says, "There is not the slightest recognition of anything exclusively Evangelical;' no mention of the doctrines of the Gospel;' no allusion to man's fallen and lost estate; or to the work of the Holy Spirit."

Melancthon does not defend the above definition of " Gospel preaching”far from it;—but then he intimates that Mr. Crabbe's preaching went beyond this description. If it did, his son's account is defective; and on him, we repeat, and not on our correspondent Luther, should the blame be cast.

But let us turn to facts; and it is with much concern that we do so, for we would not willingly write one syllable of a painful character respecting a man so amiable, benevolent, and well-gifted; and whose poems were reviewed on several occasions in our Volumes with the consideration due to their merits and to the author.

Melancthon refers to a passage from Mr. Crabbe's diary, and also to his allusions to the Rev. Thomas Winstanley. These allusions have already appeared in our pages upon another occasion, (Vol. for 1835, p. 54,) and there could be no wish on our part to suppress them; but dates, like facts, are stubborn, and cannot in this instance be adduced with comfort.

We must premise some matters respecting Mr. Winstanley, whose name has been several times mentioned in our pages in connexion with the death-bed of Dr. Johnson. The digression is worth making for the sake of the facts respecting Dr. Johnson; and its pertinency, we hope, will be perceived when we return to Mr. Crabbe. That Winstanley should have been an esteemed spiritual instructor of Crabbe in his younger days, and of Johnson on his death-bed, is claim sufficient for hanging a note upon his name.

Dr. Johnson died in the year 1784. He had been "through fear of death all his life time subject to bondage," and his apprehensions in his latter days were distressing and awful. His biographer, Sir John Hawkins, in describing the circumstances, expresses much astonishment that so eminent a moralist should have been thus visited by remorseful alarms. He intimates, however, that towards the last his mind was more serene; but he does not specify the causes of this change in his opinions or feelings. The like vagueness is found CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 65. 20

in the digests in biographical collections. Thus, in Sir David Brewster's Cyclopædia, all that is told us is, “Devotion is said at last to have come to the pacification of his mind." What is meant by this? Chalmers, who was a theologian, is rather more full, but equally indefinite: "He was alternately resigned to die, and tenacious of life; tranquil in the views of eternity, and disturbed by gloomy apprehensions; but at last his mind was soothed with the consolatory hopes of religion." But had not Johnson practised " devotion" before his closing days; and had he never till then heard of "the consolatory hopes of religion?"

In the year 1817, an attempt was made to clear up these ambiguities, in an Essay, entitled, "True and False Repose in Death," published in a Volume entitled "Christian Essays." Hannah More attested that the statement there given of the facts, and the solution of them, was the first correct and satisfactory account which had appeared of her revered friend's state of mind in his last days; and since the publication of that Essay, many corroborating circumstances have been brought to light, which had been overlooked, or purposely concealed, by Dr. Johnson's biographers; so much so that the Quarterly Reviewers urged this casual or studied silence, to prove that the statements in the Essay on "True and false Repose in Death," and also the alleged intercourse of Dr. Johnson with Mr. Latrobe and Mr. Winstanley, were "pious frauds."

The statements in that Essay were to the following effect: that Dr. Johnson's horror arose from a conscience justly convinced of sin, but not scripturally enlightened to discern the true and only source of pardon and peace, through faith in a crucified Saviour; and that when he learned to understand and appreciate the doctrine of justification by faith, he found it, as our eleventh Article describes it to be, " a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort." Dr. Johnson had, indeed, always been a firm believer in the doctrine of the Atonement; but it did not assume either a true or a distinct place in his religious system. His notion seems to have been that which was current among the divines with whom he chiefly held intercourse, that through the propitiation of Christ mankind are placed in a salvable condition, and will be saved if their virtues rise to the prescribed average of observance under a remedial law, and their sins are sufficiently atoned for by expiatory rites. Thus we find him imposing upon himself voluntary penances; as, for instance, taking only one cup of tea, and without milk, during a whole day, as a piacular observance. To propitiate God to forgive an act of disobedience against his parent, he many years after stood for a considerable time, bare-headed in the rain, in the public streets, exposed to the conjectures or the ridicule of passers-by; and recorded, "In contrition I stood, and I hope the penance was expiatory." Dr. Johnson was not the man to use these words at random; and indeed he has himself set forth his notions upon expiatory penance in the "Rambler," No. CX., where he says, "He that reviews his life in order to determine the probability of his acceptance with God, if he could once establish the necessary proportion between crimes and sufferings, might securely rest upon his performance of the expiation." In that paper there is not the slightest allusion to the Atonement of Christ, even to make up for defects, or to render imperfect penance available. His whole life was, as it were, a system of barter between himself and God; and accordingly he often expresses his alarm lest his remorse and expiations should not be an equivalent counterpoise for his sins. He indeed always earnestly offered up his prayers in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, whose merits he alone pleads at the throne of grace; but practically

his question was whether his virtues had come up to the standard of acceptance; for he was a stranger to the blessedness described by the Apostle : "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The friends who surrounded him did not know how to apply the prescribed Gospel remedy for his distress of mind. Sir J. Hawkins tells us that himself, and others, represented to him his many virtuous qualities, and the good he had done by his writings; but all in vain. His dejection increased; "he talked," says Hawkins, " of secret transgressions"-the sins of the heart; --and he had "resisted grace;" nor could the soporifics of his friends afford him consolation, since they urged him to establish his own righteousness, instead of submitting to the righteousness of God. At length, however, he met with more Scriptural advisers; and it pleased God to bless their exhortations; but the particulars, for whatever reason, were kept back by his biographers from the public. The most specific account was the brief statement cited by Boswell from Dr. Brocklesby, who, says Boswell, "will not be suspected of fanaticism." The words are these: "For some time before his death all his fears were calmed and absorbed by the prevalence of his faith, and his trust in the merits and propitiation of Jesus Christ." "He talked often to me," adds Dr. Brocklesby, "about the necessity of faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, as necessary, beyond all good works whatever, for the salvation of mankind." The chilling remark, that Brocklesby "will not be suspectedof fanaticism," is an intelligible intimation of more than the words express,* and it may account for his giving only this meagre record of what Dr. Johnson so "often" and earnestly dwelt upon; and for his confused statement about the comparative necessity of faith and works, which is obviously a blundering report of Dr. Johnson's conversation. It is evident that the dying moralist had now learned what the inspired writers and his own Church teach on these points; not that we should argue which is most necessary; but that we should learn how and wherefore both are necessary: faith as justifying; good works as fruits and evidences of justification. Dr. Johnson knew what he meant when he lamented upon his death-bed that his "conversion"-his own word-had been so "late." The Essay above alluded to was reprinted in our Volume for 1827. In our Volume for 1828, we followed it up by inserting a letter addressed to us by the late Rev. C. I. Latrobe, in which he corroborated the statement in the Essay

*So it was intimated in the Essay of 1817; implying that Brocklesby was more likely to keep back than to do justice to Dr. Johnson's religious statements, and that he probably did not trouble himself much about what he doubtless considered only varying shades of "fanaticism." This conjecture as to Brocklesby's opinions is now confirmed by a passage in a letter of H. More's, in which she says:

"Mr. Pepys wrote me a very kind letter on the death of Johnson, thinking I should be impatient to hear something relating to his last hours. Dr. Brocklesby, his physician, was with him; he said to him, a little before he died, Doctor, you are a worthy man, and my friend, but I am afraid you are not a Christian! What can I do better for you, than offer up in your presence a prayer to the Great God, that you may become a Christian in my sense of the word! Instantly he fell on his knees, and put up a fervent prayer. When he got up he caught hold of Brocklesby's hand with great earnestness and cried, Doctor, you do not say Amen.' The Doctor looked foolishly; but after a pause cried, 'Amen.' Johnson said, My dear Doctor, believe a dying man; there is no salvation but in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.'"

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Such was one of the "fanatical" remarks which we suppose are to be included among the "pious frauds,” and “bungling quackery!" Such words might be used by Winstanley or Latrobe; or other "Evangelicals" and "Methodists;" but they could not be the language of "the great English moralist."

upon the testimony of his venerable father; who had conversed much and often with Dr. Johnson upon the revealed way of salvation and the doctrines of grace; and who, at the Doctor's earnest and frequent request, visited him on his death-bed; and "most affectionately directed Him to the only Saviour, and to dependence upon His merits and atonement alone; and reminded him of the only source of true repose in death."

In the same Volume we inserted the statement of a witness still living, who testifies to hearing old Mr. Latrobe relate the same facts. The "revolution" in Dr. Johnson's mind, Mr. Latrobe said, was "extraordinary and truly Christian." In one of their conversations upon "poverty of spirit”—the opposite characteristic to that of self-righteousness-Dr. Johnson exclaimed : "You are right, Sir; I never saw it before; and if an angel in Heaven were to feel and express such self-complacency, he would immediately become a devil."

In the opening paper of our Volume for 1831, were inserted, in pursuance of the subject, some very interesting and curious memorials-too numerous and desultory for abridgement-chiefly relative to Dr. Johnson's correspondence with Miss Boothby, a lady whose eminent and glowing piety, and clear views of Scriptural doctrine, produced on his mind very strong impressions; but alas! they were not duly cherished; though perhaps they were never forgotten.

In our Volume for 1832, there was a paper upon the new matter collected by Mr. Croker relative to Dr. Johnson's last days. Mr. Croker, in alluding to the circumstances and inferences in "Christian Essays," does not attempt to reply to them; but merely says: "Those who wish to see a commentary on the facts, may turn to the remarks [the reprinted Essay] in the Christian Observer for October and November, 1827." But the most important part of that paper was a letter from Colonel Pownall to the Rev. R. Storry of Colchester, relative to the Rev. T. Winstanley's correspondence with Dr. Johnson. We will not now remark upon this document, because a better occasion will occur of referring to it, in alluding to what passed respecting it when it was republished by Mr. Roberts among the papers found in the cabinet of Hannah More.

In the same Volume of our work, we inserted a letter addressed to us by the Rev. J. A. Latrobe, in the name of his father, C. I. Latrobe, respecting his grandfather's communications with Dr. Johnson, which Mr. Croker had been pleased to consider a fabrication—a" pious fraud;" for Mr. Croker would not believe that with two such spiritual counsellors at hand as Dr. Strachan and Mr. Hoole, Dr. Johnson would resort, in his distress of mind, to a Moravian minister. Mr. C. I. Latrobe's statement was already abundantly confirmed, but superfluity of proof was added in his son's letter.

In 1834, Mr. Roberts, in his Memoir of Hannah More, inserted a letter without signature, found among her papers, in which the writer gives an account of a conversation with the late Rev. R. Storry, of Colchester, respecting Mr. Winstanley's communications with Dr. Johnson. We will copy that letter from Mr. Roberts's volume. We should premise, that in reply to the monstrous charge of the Quarterly Reviewer, that the whole story respecting Mr. Latrobe and Mr. Winstanley was "pious fraud” and “bungling quackery," Mr. Roberts gives us a letter from the late R. Storry's son, the Rev. J. B. Storry, Rector of Great Tew, in which he attests, that as long back as 1823 he saw a copy of the letter from which the paper found in H. More's cabinet was also a copy: that it was addressed by his father's friend, the Rev. J. Sangar, (of whom there is an Obituary in our Volume for 1818, p. 623,) then officiating near Colchester, to Lady Lifford; that Colonel Pownall was a correspondent of his father's; and

that Mr. Winstanley's name was frequently mentioned in the Colonel's letters. We will insert the extract as given by Mr. Roberts, from H. More's papers, and it will be seen how accurately the facts dovetail together.

"My dear Friend,-I ought to apologize for delaying so long to gratify your wishes, and fulfil my promise, by committing to paper a conversation which I had with the late Rev. Mr. Storry, of Colchester, respecting Dr. Johnson. I will now however proceed at once to record, to the best of my recollection, the substance of our discourse.

"We were riding together near Colchester, when I asked Mr. Storry whether he had ever heard that Dr. Johnson had expressed great dissatisfaction with himself on the approach of death; and that in reply to friends who, in order to comfort him, spoke of his writings in defence of virtue and religion, he had said, 'Admitting all you urge to be true, how can I tell when I have done enough.' Mr. Storry assured me that what I have just mentioned was perfectly correct, and then added the following interesting particulars. Dr. Johnson,' said he, 'did feel as you described, and was not to be comforted by the ordinary topics of consolation which were addressed to him. In consequence, he desired to see a clergyman, and particularly described the views and character of the person whom he wished to consult. After some consideration, a Mr. Winstanley was named, and the Doctor requested Sir John Hawkins to write a note in his name, requesting Mr. W.'s attendance as a minister.

"Mr. W., who was in a very weak state of health, was quite overpowered on receiving the note, and felt appalled by the very thought of encountering the talents and learning of Dr. Johnson. In his embarrassment he went to his friend Colonel Pownall, and told him what had happened, asking, at the same time, for his advice how to act. The Colonel, who was a pious man, urged him immediately to follow what appeared to be a remarkable leading of Providence, and for the time argued his friend out of his nervous apprehension; but after he had left Colonel Pownall, Mr. W.'s fears returned in so great a degree, as to prevail upon him to abandon the thought of a personal interview with the Doctor. He determined, in consequence, to write him a letter: that letter I think Mr. Storry said he had seen, at least a copy of it, and part of it he repeated to me, as follows:

can

"Sir, I beg to acknowledge the honour of your note, and am very sorry that the state of my health prevents my compliance with your request; but my nerves are so shattered, that I feel as if I should be quite confounded by your presence, and, instead of promoting, should only injure the cause in which you desire my aid. Permit me, therefore, to write what I should wish to say, were I present. easily conceive what would be the subjects of your inquiry. I can conceive that the views of yourself have changed with your condition; and that on the near approach of death, what you once considered mere peccadilloes, have risen into mountains of guilt, while your best actions have dwindled into nothing. On whichever side you look, you see only positive transgressions, or defective obedience; and hence, in self-despair, are eagerly inquiring, What shall I do to be saved?' I say to you, in the language of the Baptist, Behold the Lamb of God,' &c. &c.

"When Sir John Hawkins came to this part of Mr. W.'s letter, the Doctor interrupted him, anxiously asking, Does he say so? Read it again, Sir John.' Sir John complied: upon which the Doctor said, I must see that man, write again to him!' A second note was accordingly sent; but even this repeated solicitation could not prevail over Mr. Winstanley's fears. He was led, however, by it, to write again to the Doctor, renewing and enlarging upon the subject of his first letter; and these communications, together with the conversations of the late Mr. Latrobe, who was a particular friend of Dr. Johnson, appeared to have been blessed by God, in bringing this great man to the renunciation of self, and a simple reliance on Jesus as his Saviour; thus also communicating to him that peace which he had found the world could not give, and which, when the world was fading from his view, was to fill the void, and dissipate the gloom even of the valley of the shadow of death.

"I cannot conclude without remarking what honour God has hereby put upon the doctrine of faith in a crucified Saviour. The man whose intellectual powers had awed all around him, was in his turn made to tremble, when the period arrived at which all knowledge is useless, and vanishes away, except the knowledge of the true God, and of Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. Effectually to attain this knowledge, this giant in literature must become a little child. The man looked up to as a prodigy of wisdom, must become a fool, that he might be wise. What a comment is this upon that word, 'The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be laid low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day!'"