short duration, when she complained of darkness of mind; but she soon found peculiar delight in that sweet invitation, Isa. i. 18. She expressed a wish that they might be the words from which her funeral sermon should be preached. Just before her departure she was perfectly collected; when she awoke in a happy frame of mind, and said, Sabbath, not only with pleasure, but with peculiar profit. Many texts she has recorded, as Mark v. 15, &c. "And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: --Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion upon thee." And 2" Bless the Lord, I have had a very Thess. ii. 16, 17; "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." This was doctrine in which her soul delighted. She was enabled, by Divine teaching, to renounce all dependence upon creatute merits, and rest wholly upon the person and work of Jesus Christ for salvation. In former times of sickness, she had expressed great fear of death; but in this sickness, which was unto death, through rich, free, and sovereign favour, she has been enabled, in the language of holy triumph, to ask, "O death, where is thy sting! O grave where is thy victory!" She said, in one instance, "I hope you are looking to the Physician of souls, who will order all things for our good." There was a season, of comfortable night, and I have a delightful tale to tell you-Christ is precious to me. Is Christ precious to you?" And then fell asleep in the arms of Jesus, about eight o'clock on Monday morning, February 9, 1824. REV. JOHN KEEBLE. THE Rev. John Keeble, between twenty and thirty years the highly esteemed pastor of the Baptist Church, meeting in Blandford-street, London, died on Friday evening, the 10th ult. at his house at Fulham, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. On the 16th, be was brought to the Chapel in Blandford-street, when, after an address by Mr. Pritchard of Keppel-street, he was interred in Mary-le-bone Burial-ground. It is hoped that a more enlarged account will be shortly supplied. Review. An Account of the American Mission | fall influence of Christian princito the Burman Empire: in a Series of Letters addressed to a Gentle man in London, by Ann H. Judson. London: Butterworth & Son, 43, Fleet-street. 8vo. 326 pp. Price Ss. THAT "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cru ty," is a sentiment frequently expressed, and the correctness of which our judgments fully approve; but which we never utter with suitable sentiments, or proper emotions. In order to this, persons must live among idolators; and, even then, unless their hearts are under the ples, to conceive, in some measure, of the worth of the soul, and the solemnuess of eternity, they will not feel all its awful emphasis, nor attach to the words their appropriate meaning, No one can conceive of the more than Egyptian darkness in which millions of our fellowcreatures are living; no one can enumerate the instruments cruelty which are to be found in those habitations, from which the knowledge of the gospel is excluded, and where the living and true God is not worshipped. As proper sentiments and feelings on these of religion of the empire, and it is a capital crime to attempt, without his knowledge, to introduce any other; when these things are considered, it forms an interesting object to find these two excellent persons, sitting down, resolving to obtain an acquaintance with their lan subjects, stand in connection with the exertions which are necessary to promote plans of missionary labour, and to supply the funds requisite for carrying them into effect, we rejoice in the appearance of a publication like that before us, written by a pious female, who, with her estimable and zealous hus-guage, notwithstanding innumerable band, have been, since the year 1813, difficulties, in order that they might employed as Missionaries at Ran- give the Burmans the holy scriptures, goon, in the Burman empire: an and then speak to them, in their empire, at present, about 1200 miles own tongue, of the wonderful works in length, and 800 or 900 in the of God. It is remarkably gratifying broadest part. It is situated be- to find, that, after their patience tween India-proper and China; and had been tried to the utmost, and contains a population estimated at they had often feared no Burman about nineteen millions! would be brought to the knowledge of the truth, that their prayers were at length answered, and their desires granted; so that, at the close of the year 1822, eighteen persons had made a credible profession of their repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ: thus a church for the worship of God has been formed, even in the place where Satan's seat is, which, there is reason to hope, will be enlarged by constant additions, and perpetuated even to the end of time. Mrs. Judson says, in describing the moral state of these people: "The Burmans are a nation of atheists. They believe that existence involves in itself the principles of misery and destruction: consequently, there is no eternal God. The whole universe, say they, is only destruction and reproduction. It, therefore, becomes a wise man to raise his desires above all things that exist, and aspire to Nigban, the state in which there is no existence. Rewards and punishments follow meritorious and sinful acts, agreeably to the nature of things. Gaudama, their last Boodh, or deity, in consequence of meritorious acts, arrived at that state of perfection, which made him deserving of annihilation-the supreme good. His instructions are still in force, and will continue till the appearance of the next deity, who is supposed to exist somewhere now in embryo, and who, when he appears, as the most perfect of all beings, will introduce a new dispensation. The Boodhist system of morality is pure, though it is destitute of power to produce purity of life in those that profess it." When it is further known, that these erroneous sentiments are held and maintained by men among them, who are powerful logicians, and who are capable of defending them with much ingenuity, it will be seen that the Prince of Darkness has entrenched himself here in his strongest holds. Added to this, the monarch absolute, capricious and cruel," the lord of life and death," is very tenacious for preserving the The sensations felt by Mr. Judson, on discovering the first hopeful evidences ofrenewing grace,upon the mind of a Burman, cannot be conceived. He thus writes, "May 5, 1819. Moung has been with me several hours; I begin to think the grace of God has reached his heart. He expresses sentiments of repentance for his sins, and faith in the Saviour. The substance of his profession is, that, from all the darkness and uncleannesses and sins of his whole life, he has found no other Saviour but Jesus Christ; no where else can he look for salvation; and, therefore, he proposes to adhere to Christ, and worship him all his life long. "It seems almost too much to believe, that God has begun to manifest his grace to the Burmans; but this day I could not resist the delightful conviction that this is really the case. PRAISE AND GLORY BE TO HIS NAME 163. It would give us pleasure could we give other extracts from this ex " cellent work, of the progress of the work of God in that wretched land. The work is so purely missionary, and the plans and proceedings of the agents employed so evangelical, and expressive of such dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God, that it is very delightful and encouraging to find, that their labours have been crowned with such signal success. Perusing it, revived all the feelings which, reading the "Life of Brainard," produced upon our heart: this book is a suitable accompaniment for that, and should stand upon the same shelf with it in the library of every one who is desirous that God would make "his way known upon the earth, and his saving health among all nations.” The profits which may arise from the sale of the publication, "will be appropriated to the redemption from slavery and education of female children, on Mrs. Judson's return to Burmah." We most heartily recommend the work, especially to the perusal of pious fe males. A Second Series of Letters to Wm. shall. by giving them legislative and executive power, it will, by this act, separate the Romish Priesthood from the Laity; and that, when this happy disjunction shall have been effected, the whole Romish body will form together a perfectly harmless race of sire to see their own religion upperbeings, who will no longer feel a demost, nor their own friends in power: in short, that both priests and people will be, from the moment of emancipation, at once incapable of meditating the destruction of Protestant England, and her religion, and unable to accomplish it, if they did." p. 4. Amicus Protestans contends, that the idea of " legislating for the laity alone," is perfectly chimerical ;that the union between the clergy and laity, while the latter continue Roman Catholics, is so firm that it cannot be dissolved :-and the influence of the former over the latter so strong, that, while that connexion continues, the opinions of the clergy will necessarily govern the laity, and, therefore, the possession of political power by the latter, would be employed in carrying into effect the intolerant views of the former, endangering the Protestant religion, i. e. the Protestant Established Churches of England and Ireland. We do not wonder that Amicus Protestans, "with a firm conviction on his mind that the Church of England is the most pure and apostolic church upon earth," should be apprehensive, in the event of the Roman Catholics getting the upper THE former Series of Letters from hand in the state, that his church this writer to Mr. Wilberforce, were would be in danger: there would, noticed in a former volume of our doubtless, be a struggle which was work. A writer, under the signa- the most pure and apostolic church ture of Melancthon, having appear--the church of England, or the ed as the defender of the conduct of church of Rome, and the most votes that statesman in Parliament, upon in Parliament, (if the chief magisthe Catholic Question, bas furnished trate did not interfere,) would deAmicus Protestans with plenty of cide to which church the juro divino, employment. To give our readers tithes, &c. &c. belonged. Our a view of the chief topic of this opinion is, that, even were such an pamphlet, we select the following unlikely event to take place, and paragraph: the church of Rome to be again the established church of England and Ireland, that the church of Christ would still be perfectly safe. It is not the spiritual, but the political power, which such a change would give them, that we dread. Popery, "It will be remembered that the leading theory of Mr. Wilberforce, and Melancthon, and indeed of almost all their school, is the notion, that if a Protestant Parliament will but eman cipate the unhappy Roman Catholics, without political power, except as it affects the spiritual interests of men, is as harmless as the viper which has lost its sting. We think Amicus Protestans is right respecting the impossibility of separating the laity from the clergy: he might have found a fact to illustrate his opinions in Mr. Charles Butler's "Memoirs of the English, Irish, and Scottish Catholics." At Just Published. The Christian Remembrancer. By Ambrose Serle, Esq. With an Introductory Essay, by Thomas Chalmers, D.D. 12mo. The Value of Time; or the History of Richard Gordon. the period referred to, 1780, the LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. English Roman Catholic Laity would have made, and did make, concessions, in their famous "Protestation," satisfactory to the British Parliament; and, for a time, the English Roman Catholic Clergy approved; but, an Irish priest, having obtained the opinion of the infallible Head of their church, that it would not be sanctioned, the Clergy first withdrew their names, and then the Laity were forced to withdraw their Protestation," which was finally deposited in the British Museum; to be, as it were, a Memorial of the spiritual domination of the priests, and of the passive obedience of the people! 66 We are of opinion that Amicus Protestans has "the words of truth" on his side: we wish we could add, " and of soberness;" but there is a degree of flippancy, and occasionalJy of vanity, that will hardly square with that sacred standard. There is, however, a good deal of useful information contained in the pamphlet, which, we fear, will not be read, or properly appreciated, on account of the letters being so wordy; and the same things, in substance, being so often repeated. with Real Religion. By the Rev. Warning and Example to the Young. The Cottage Bible, and Family Expositor. Dictionnaire des Termes appropriés Chambers's The Daily Expositor to the New Testament. By the Rev. Thomas Keyworth. Divine Grace the Source of all Human Excellence: a Sermon occasioned by the late Rev. William Ward. By J. Marshman, D.D. Memory. In the Press. As it relates to the question of Rev. Wm. Ward, late Baptist MissionBrief but authentic Memoirs of the what is called Catholic Emancipa-ary in India; with a Monody to his tion, we have no fear that any Prince of the House of Brunswick Eleazar; an interesting Narrative will ever consent to make such a of one of the Jewish Converts on the change in the fundamental principles Day of Pentecost, supposed to be reof the Constitution, as to admit Ro-lated by himself. By Thos. Bingham. man Catholics to an equality of rights, as citizens, unless they give that pledge to the supreme magis trate, which, without ceasing to be Roman Catholics, they can never give. It seems to us, also, that the confusion and disasters which the discussion of the question in Parlia ment generally produces, is an evi Mr. Cottle's Strictures on the Ply mouth Antinomians. 2nd Edition, enlarged. Sancho, the Sacred Trophy, and the Unparalleled Operations of Episcopacy, with a Presbyter's Hat On the 1st of May, 1824, will be published, No. I. Price 6d. of the Spiritual Magazine, or Saint's Trea sury. 210 Intelligence, &c. To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. | senters, seriously to make and renew Committee,) applications to the Legislature on the subject; and communicating to such members proper explanatory statements of the case. That the Committee immediately solicit the co-operation of Deputations from the Body of Ministers in London, and the other Societies in London, formed for, or interested in, the promotion of civil and religious liberty, in order to establish union, and obtain an accession of talent and energy, in the common cause. That printed statements of the case of Dissenters, and of the reasons on which they ground their claims upon the Legislature, be, with such cooperation, prepared and circulated. That the Committee take such other measures for interesting and informing the public mind, by temperate discussion, (either through the daily and periodical press, or by the publication of useful and judicious tracts and addresses,) as shall be desirable for the promotion of the cause. That the Committee be fully authorized at once, to take, from time to time, all such steps as may be expedient, for effectually following up these objects; and that they report, from time to time, to the General Meetings, calling special General Meetings, if necessary. That, considering the long interval which has elapsed since the agitation of the question of general religious liberty in Parliament, and the consequent want of interest in, and acquaintance with, the subject, which prevails both in and out of Parliament, it is expedient that it be immediately brought under public consideration, by an application to Parliament, on the subject of the Corporation and Test Acts; and that such application That these Resolutions be signed by be renewed temperately, but persethe Chairman, and printed, and comveringly, from time to time, with a municated to all congregations of view to enlightening and directing the Dissenters throughout the kingdom public mind, making the friends of the known to the Committee; and that it cause acquainted with, and interested be recommended to them to form some in, the merits of the question, and pre-plan of communication and co-operaparing the way for that gradual but ultimate success, which has, in so many instances, attended persevering exertions in causes founded in truth and justice. That the Petitions now recommended by the Committee be adopted, signed, and presented to both Houses of Parliament, without delay. That some member of the House of Commons be requested to follow up the Petition, by a motion on the subject. That the Committee apply to such members of both Houses, as are considered favourable, requesting their assistance, informing them of the decided intention of the Body of Dis tion, through local or district Societies, with the Body in London, and to send up Petitions as early as possible, but at all events, in the ensuing session; taking measures, at the same time, for interesting in their cause, such members of Parliament as may be more immediately connected with them. That these Resolutions be also officially communicated to the Body of Ministers in London, and to the dif ferent Dissenting Bodies associated there for the promotion of religious liberty, and be also inserted in the different Magazines connected with, or in circulation among, Dissenters. (Signed) WM. SMITH, Chairman. |