"Christ," he argues, "died for our of fences and rose again for our justification. His death was a sacrifice of propitiation for the sins of men. Under the government of a holy and righteous Being, jealous of the ho nour of his law, and invariably disposed to testify his abhorrence of sin by some awful token of his displeasure against it, even while he cancelled the guilt of the transgres-. sor, the death of Christ was the appointed condition of conferring pardon on the penitent: it was a solemn ratification, on the, part of God, of the promise and grant of everlasting life and blessedness, on the terms of a sincere, though mixed and imperfect obedience. The resurrection of Christ was a

visible testimony, that his death was available to the benevolent purpose, for which it was ordained; and that the Supreme Sovereign, who, for wise ends in his administration, appointed this method of dispensing pardon and happiness to the penitent and upright, approved and confirmed it.

"This event, then, by dissipating the fears and encouraging the hopes of persons, conscious of their demerit and imperfection, affords a very powerful inducenient to activity and zeal in well doing. So far from having a tendency to relax the resolution of upright and ingenuous minds; to render them careless and slothful; and to make them contented with partial and low attainments in virtue and piety; the assurance, derived from the death and subsequent resurrection of Christ, that God is not strict to mark the iniquity of the penitent, and that he will accept the sincere, notwithstanding their infirmities and failings, is an incentive to emulation, diligence, and constancy, in the practice and profession of religion, which none but obdurate transgressors

can resist." pp. 109, 110.

The latter part of the passage which we have last quoted is extremely good, and serves to vindicate those views of the practical influence of the doctrine of the atonement, which are generally maintained by orthodox divines.

will, as well as of the understanding;" and that it depends on the state of the affections and passions, may be obstructed or promoted by a as well as upon the judgment; and variety of circumstances besides the simple evidence of truth." Whilst one person, he says, may be incredulous, because be indulges, prejudices, &c.; another person

The two following Sermons are on the very important subject of Faith. The author shews that we act by faith-that is, by our belief in things not actually submitted to our senses-in most of the concerns of this life, and justly infers the reasonableness of the use of it in religion. He remarks, also, that "Christian faith is an act of the

will find ample, clear, convincing evidence, which was objectionable, unsatisfactory, and inconclusive, to the other. Conceit, and an affectaciency, and a desire of differing tion of superior wisdom; self-suffifrom the multitude; obstinacy in error, or addictedness to licentiousconduct; may bar up the avenues to the light of truth. Christian faith, he also says, is of a practical nature Those," he observes, "who admit, the truth of the discoveries of revela tion, with regard to the providence of God, the mediation of the Redeemer, the pardon of sin, the grant of divine assistance, and a state of future immortality; are furnished with principles of conduct and of consolation which the light of unassisted reason could never have af, forded them."

Much as we approve the passages: we have quoted-passages which,, if taken by themselves, seem to charges commonly brought against. exempt Dr. Rees from some of the persons inclining to his doctrinal. opinions we nevertheless consider. his discourses on Faith as radically deficient in two most important particulars. First, he no where repre sents faith as the gift of God: it is described as if it were the act of the unassisted will and affections. The preacher here, as in many other places, so entirely omits the mention of that "divine succour" of which we represented him as much too briefly treating in a former sermon, that his hearers will be likely to forget that it is the office of the divine Spirit to produce this grace in us. The Scriptures speak of faith as the operation of God; "Unto you," says the apostle," is

it given to believe:" and the language which we are continually taught by inspiration to employ is, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." We at the same time perfectly agree with Dr. Rees, that nothing can be more rational than faith: it is conformable, that is to say, to right reason; though the reason of man, on account of its being clouded by prejudice and sin, is prone, either in whole or in part, to resist the truth; and needs therefore, like all his other powers, to be baptized with the baptism of the Spirit.

The other omission is scarcely of less moment. Our author speaks of faith generally; meaning, for the most part, faith in the being and attributes of God, and in the divine mission of our Saviour. Faith, however, when treated of in the New Testament, is very frequently and emphatically applied to the death and sufferings of Christ, and to his propitiation for sin and it is even described as standing opposed to works, so far as respects our justification; " For by grace are ye saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast: "..." therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace." We are said to "have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand;" and, " being justified by faith," to "have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ:" and, to quote a still stronger passage, it is affirmed; "Now to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Surely, therefore, faith" in the blood of Christ," faith" in him who died for our sins and rose again for our justification"-which faith, it is expressly said," is imputed to us for righteousness"-ought always to make a leading part of that general definition of Christian faith which is given by an ambassador of Christ, a minister of reconciliation under the gracious dispensation of the

Gospel. Our church has admirably provided, by her Articles and Homilies, as well indeed as by her general service, for the assertion of this important principle.

The next Sermon, on the "Christian Hope," partakes of the fault which is most common in these volunes: it makes man to appear too much as the author of his own salvation, while it is far from sufficiently celebrating the riches of the divine mercy. It speaks, indeed, of the blessedness of the Christian hope; and we must acknowledge that the heart of the author, especially in his 158th page, appears to be warmed with his subject: but why do we not find among the reasons for denominating this hope blessed, some clearer mention of that grace which is the foundation of it, and which is spoken of by the apostle in the following manner a few verses after the text: "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived," &c.: "but after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared; not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

Dr. Rees is a man of so much ability, he has such command of language, and places in so striking a point of view some of the doctrines with which he is chiefly conversant, that his readers are in danger of being seduced into too favourable an opinion of his creed, by the effect which in such . hands even a very imperfect. theology produces. We are anxious to guard them against certain writers of talents on this account. We will illustrate our re mark by adverting to a passage in the work of Dr. A. Smith on the Theory of Moral Sentiments. He

there describes, with much ability, the case of a great man pursued by a guilty conscience, and gives a most striking view of the horrors of bis mind, without taking to his aid that source of terror to the wicked which is derived from religious considerations. He represents the unhappy object as "sensible that the honour of his exalted station is become defiled by the baseness of the means through which he rose to it; as invoking in vain the dark and dismal powers of forgetfulness and oblivion; as remembering, nevertheless, what he has done, and inferring that other people likewise must remember it." "Amidst all the gaudy pomp," says he, " of the most ostentatious greatness; amidst the venal and vile adulation of the great and learned; amidst the more innocent, though more foolish, acclamations of the common people; amidst all the pride of conquest, and the triumph of successful war, he is still secretly pursued by the avenging furies of shame and remorse: and while glory seems to surround him on all sides, he himself, in his own imagination, sees black and foul infamy fast pursuing him, and every moment ready to overtake him from behind."

How many persons are there, who, in reading this terrific description, would deem nothing wanting to complete the picture? And yet, surely the idea of an avenging Deity, and of a state of eternal retribution, would have added unspeakably to the horror of the description.

"Oh my offence is rank!-it smells to Heaven!"

Many will rise from the perusal of this passage in the work of Dr. Smith, with little consciousness of any defect in it; because his very superior talents have enabled him thus strikingly to illustrate his own imperfect doctrine respecting conscience, without calling to his aid any idea of a God or an hereafter. We would apply the remark, though in

a measured way, to the sermon of Dr. Rees now under consideration. He pleases our ear with his description of the Christian hope, and introduces a variety of just and striking sentiments on the subject; but, as we have already noticed, one essential circumstance, which contributes to the "blessedness" of it, is nearly omitted. How might this writer have improved his discourse, if, in tracing the source of this hope, and in treating of the triumphant as well as grateful feeling which it is so well calculated to inspire, he had held up conspicuously to view the astonishing magnitude of the divine grace in our redemption; if he had reminded us, that it is a hope vouchsafed to those who might otherwise have been in despair;-a hope which a Mary Magdalen was invited to enjoy, and which a thief on the cross was encouraged to entertain;-and if he had thus endeavoured to attune all our hearts to that universal song of the redeemed; " Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood; and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father: to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever." " And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."