even then religion was the matter of his serious and impartial choice, and not merely the prejudice of custom and education. He used sometimes to write essays of morality, and occasional meditations; which, as they were singularly eloquent and ingenious, so they breathed forth the devotion of his mind and the seriousness of his spirit, and would very well become a riper age. It being the custom of the youth to have private meetings about the ordering the concerns of

their commencement, where he was made constant president among his fellows, his discourses to them were so grave and becoming, (as some of them have professed,) that they looked upon them as the sayings of a grey head, and thought they savoured of the wisdom of a senator."

One who so conducted and improved himself at the university during his pupilage there, laid a sure foundation for his future efficiency as a professor.

[To be continued.]

THE THEATRE.*

E.

FROM this we may proceed at once to the second principle, viz. that we must do nothing to endanger the soul of any man. The single fact, that the soul is to live for ever, in heaven or in hell, should be enough to lead any man of common benevolence to tremble when he sees a soul in danger. The same spirit which would lead a man to relieve bodily sufferings, and to shudder when witnessing the pain of his brother, should lead him, in a tenfold degree, to labour for the salvation of the soul, and to watch with the most pressing anxiety against any evil influence that may lead that soul to ruin. But here there is another and yet more powerful motive brought to bear. We are directed not merely to the value of the soul, but to the love of Christ; "through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died?" And, again; "when ye sin so against the brethren, ye sin against Christ." The man, then, who throws danger in his brother's way, now assumes a new position. He not only exposes his brother to eternal death, and is on the very verge of standing responsible for the everlasting ruin of his soul; but now he appears in a new attitude, and, by his heedless conduct towards his brother, he places himself in array against his Lord; "ye sin against Christ." God has so loved the sinner, that he gave his own Son to die for him; Christ has so loved the sinner, that "he bare his sins in his own body' on the tree;" the Holy Ghost is so mindful of the sinner, that he condescends to move him to repentance; and, if we be regardless of the sinner, we become at once opposers to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Oh, fearful position! But how many are there who thus "always resist the Holy Ghost!" God has, in his sovereign wisdom, permitted us thus to strive against the workings of his grace; he has made man, to a great extent, dependent upon man; he has so ordered things, that we may be instruments for the help or the hinderance of those about us surely, then, we ought to make any sacrifice, "lest, haply, we be found to fight against God;" we ought to give up any thing in the whole world, rather than allow any single soul to be endangered through our influence. St. Paul says, "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." He did not mind what he sacrificed; he would give up his food, his raiment, his life, rather than be the innocent means of leading a brother into sin; he knew

• From "A Sermon on the Theatre, preached in Richmond Church." By the Rev. Edward Hoare, A.M., Curate. 1839.

that if he "placed a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way," he sinned against Christ; and most gladly would he abandon any thing, rather than dishonour the Saviour he loved. And now, my dear brethren, will you endanger souls for the sake of pleasure? will you encourage places which are too often the very hotbeds of sin, that you may enjoy an evening's amusement? will you place the soul of any one in danger, and all this for your entertainment?

But, perhaps, it may be said, that there is not this dangerous tendency in the stage. Let us, then, pause for a few moments to consider the influence of a theatre; and take, first, its influence on the spectators. In order to make the pieces popular, they are comThe pelled to pander to the worst passions of men. plays that are acted may be arranged under two classes. The first, which is the larger, consists of those which represent scenes of the grossest profligacy. Read the list of the works of the flesh, in Galatians, v. 19, "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,... envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:" and you see the chief subject of these low plays. It was not long ago that I observed a scene of adultery advertised as an amusement for a Christian people. The faults of the other class are of a more refined character; they are not so profligate and lascivious, but yet they appeal to some of the worst passions of our nature. There is a total absence of Christian principle; and inordinate love, pride, jealousy, and revenge, are the chief elements which form their interest. Now what must be the effect of such performances? "I speak as to reasonable men, judge ye what I say." Are they likely to fit men for glory? Are they likely to prepare the heart for the work of the Spirit? When men have the vilest sins set before them for their entertainment, is it likely to lead to an abhorrence of sin? Is it likely to corrupt or to purify the heart? What must be the tendency of such exhibitions? what their probable influence? What can we expect, but that they should lead men from God; that they should harden the heart against the truth; that they should bring men to the very character described by Scripture, where it says, "Fools make a mock at sin?"

Take, again, their influence on a neighbourhood. They lead to the assembling of large numbers of disorderly persons, at late hours of the night; poor, wretched, fallen creatures, look to the precincts of the theatre for their miserable gains. I have been struck, lately, with the increase of disorderly persons about the town: I may be mistaken, but if not, I can only account for it by the re-opening of the stage. I have seen, myself, in this parish, disorderly habits introduced into the families of our poor, simply through the influence of the theatre. There were many cases, two years ago, of even our school children who attended frequently; and many were encouraged to gamble for tickets, by those who were entrusted with their distribution.

I speak, then, to you as the minister of your parish; and, having witnessed the evil effect, I entreat you, my dear brethren, to abstain from all contact with such a source of sin. Surely it endangers the brethren for whom Christ died.

But there is one other class on whom it exerts a more deadly influence still. I mean the poor people who perform at such places. I cannot say how I pity those people. They stand on a very different footing to the spectators; for the performer is there for his livelihood, and the spectator for his amusement. Now, what is the influence of the stage on them? I know there are many honourable exceptions; and I have heard that there are some amongst them who are true servants of God; but how rare are those exceptions! Look at the poor unhappy women, whose abandoned life marks them as outcasts from society. How many of them owe their fall to the stage! How dreadful

are the scenes of vice enacted under the very roof of the theatre!* and how many are there who enter these deadly places innocent and ignorant of the snare, but who leave it betrayed, deserted, without a character, without a friend, without hope, with no course before them but to sink down into the abyss of sin! I would repeat what I said before, that there are many honourable exceptions; but I fear that all who have had the means of acquainting themselves with facts, will bear me out, when I say, that the calls of vice are so general, as almost to become the rule; and can we wonder at it? What a death-blow must it be to all the graces of the female character, to be brought forward on a public stage! how can we hope that such an occupation can harmonise with "the chaste conversation coupled with fear?" Read the description which St. Paul gives of the female character, "whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price;" and then turn to the actress, with her theatrical decorations, performing before a mixed multitude, including all ranks, both sexes, and, what is worst, all characters. Is it not next to impossible that the Scriptural character should be found in such an unscriptural occupation? And then look into the character of the pieces which are placed in her mouth; requiring her to give utterance to expressions which, if she be a servant of God, she must loathe and abhor: and what must we expect, but that she should lose all traces of the handmaid of the Lord; that the meek, retiring, gentle, modest spirit of the woman should be altogether destroyed by the public station which she fills, and the unchristian characters she is compelled to personate?

And now, my dear brethren, I would entreat you most affectionately to lend no countenance to such a system. I would strongly advise the tradesmen not to encourage it by exposing the bills in their shops; and still more would I urge you all not to give it the countenance of your presence. Perhaps some of you attend the theatres; it may be you only attend the more pure pieces, and leave them before the performance of the more corrupt parts; but though by so doing you may, to a certain extent, avoid the corruption to your own soul, you are encouraging the system,-a system which, I think, we have shewn leads men to ruin. But perhaps you think it would go on just the same, whether you attend or not; and therefore there can be no harm in your sharing the amusement. Remember that text, "neither be partaker of other men's sins." You are responsible before God; the conduct of other men can never justify you; you, as a servant of the Lord Jesus, must not sin against him by making your brother to offend. Consider, then, the peril to which souls are exposed by the system; the extreme danger of the weak brother being led into sin; and, for Christ's sake, keep clear of it. Remember what he has done for the salvation of souls. He has sacrificed his life to save the sinner; and will you refuse to give up your pleasure that you may not expose that sinner to ruin? God gave his only begotten Son to save you; we ask you to give up an amusement, that you may have no part in the destruction of your brother. How can we stand before Christ, if we are unwilling to make such a sacrifice? How can we thank and praise him for his unspeakable gift in having died for us, while at the same time we keep that gift from others by requiring them to amuse us by conduct which may plunge them into sin? I know not how the man of God can find pleasure in such a scene; and, if he have any thing of the spirit of his Lord, I

I wish it to be understood, that no allusion is here intended to the parties now performing at Richmond, as I know nothing whatever of their character.

believe he never can be pleased, when the cost of his pleasure is the possible, I will not say the probable, ruin of his brother's soul. The loss of a brother's soul is a high price for an evening's amusement; and therefore, my dear brethren, if you love your Lord; if you have felt the value of eternity; if you have ever found peace in your Redeemer; if your heart have ever been warmed with the constraining love of Christ; if you are living, as I trust you are, in the bright hope of a glorious resurrection,-let nothing induce you to gain amusement from a system, whose direct tendency is to deprive others of all these joys. You may possibly never feel the contaminating influence yourself, but many others may. You may never be drawn away from God yourself; but you may, in the pursuit of amusement, support a practice which has been the ruin of thousands; and so, through thy pleasure shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died."

PRINCE EUGENE.

THIS celebrated general was the friend of the great Duke of Marlborough, so famous in the reign of Queen Anne, and was considered nearly, if not quite, equal to him in military skill... Yet, while engaged in all the bustle and toil of the camp and the field of battle, while courted and distinguished by the chief sovereigns of Europe, he never lost sight of those principles of religion which in early life had been implanted. He was as religious as he was brave. His example is worth the consideration of every soldier. Some soldiers, if we may judge from their continual practice of blaspheming, seem to think that profaneness is necessary to bravery. Others seem afraid of being thought religious, lest they should be ridiculed. This used to be the case to a terrible extent. But we are aware that a very great improvement has taken place of late years, throughout the army, in this respect, and that many soldiers both are religious and are not ashamed to profess their faith and love... The following is a prayer found among the papers of Prince Eugene, written by himself:

"I believe in thee, O my God; do thou strengthen my faith-I hope in thee; confirm my hopes-I love thee; inflame my love more and more-I repent of all my sins; but do thou increase my repentance. As my first beginning, I worship thee; as my last end, I long for thee; as my eternal benefactor, I praise thee; and as my supreme protector, I pray unto thee, that it may please thee, O Lord, to guide and lead me by thy providence, to keep me in obedience by thy justice, to comfort me by thy mercy, and protect me by thy almighty power. I submit to thee all my thoughts, words, and actions, as well as my afflictions, pains, and sufferings; and I desire to have thee always in my mind, to do all my works in thy name, and for thy sake to bear all adversity with patience. I will what thou wilt, O God, because it is agreeable to thee. O, give me grace, that I may be attentive in my prayers, temperate in my diet, vigilant in my conduct, and unmovable in all good purposes. Grant, most merciful Lord, that I may be true and faithful to those who have entrusted me with their secrets; that I may be courteous and kind towards all men; and that both in my words and actions, I may shew unto them a good example. Dispose my heart to admire and praise thy goodness, to hate all error and evil works, to love my

neighbour, and to despise the world. Assist me, good Lord, in subduing lust by mortification, covetousness by liberality, anger by mildness, and lukewarmness by zeal and fervency. Enable me to conduct myself with prudence in all transactions, and to shew courage in danger, patience in adversity, and in prosperity an humble mind. Let thy grace illuminate my understanding, direct my will, sanctify my body, and bless my soul. Make me diligent in curbing all irregular affections, zealous in imploring thy grace, careful in keeping thy commandments, and constant in working out my salvation. Finally, O God, make me sensible how little is the world, how great thy heavens, how short time, and how long a blessed eternity. O, that I may well prepare myself for death; that I may dread thy judgments; that I may avoid the torments of hell; and obtain of thee, O God, eternal life, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen."

The Cabinet.

DECEITFUL RESOLUTIONS.-The heart is deceitful in its own resolutions and purposes; for many times men make their resolutions only in their understanding, not in their will; they resolve it fitting to be done, not decree that they will do it; and instead of beginning to be reconciled to God by the renewed and hearty promises of holy living, they are advanced so far only as to be convinced, and apt to be condemned by their own sentence.-Bp. Jeremy Taylor.

A DEATH-BED.-A death-bed is a wonderful reasoner; many a proud infidel hath it humbled and refuted without a word, who but a short time before would have defied all the ability of man to shake the foundation of his system. All is well, as long as the curtain is up and the puppet-show of life goes on; but when the rapid representation draws to a close, and every hope of a longer respite is precluded, things will appear in a very different light. Would to God, I could say, that that great and awful moment were as often distinguished by the dew of repentance as by the groan of despair.-Dean Kirwan.

THE WAKING GUARDIAN.It is a true word which the Psalmist said of thee, O God: "Thou that keepest Israel neither slumberest nor sleepest" (Psalm cxxi. 4). Fond tyrants think that thou winkest at their cruel persecutions of thy Church, because thou dost not speedily execute vengeance upon them; whereas, if the fault were not in their eyes, they should see thine wide open, and bent upon them for their just destruction: only, thou thinkest fit to hold thy hand, for a time, from the infliction of judgment, till the measure of their iniquity be full; and then they shall feel, to their cost, that thou sawest all their secret plots and conspiracies against thine Israel. The time was, O Saviour, when, in the days of thy human infirmity, thou sleptest in the stern of the ship on a pillow, when the tempest raged and the waves swelled; yet even then, when thy disciples awoke thee, and said, "Lord, save us, we perish;" thou rebukedst them sharply with, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?" (Matt. viii. 24-26, Mark iv. 37-40, Luke viii. 23-25.) Their danger was apparently great; but yet thou tellest them their fear was causeless, and their faith weak, that they could not assure themselves that thy presence, though sleeping, was a sufficient preservative against the fury of winds and waters: how much more now, that being in the height of thy heavenly glory, and ever intentively vigilant for the safeguard of thy chosen ones, may we rest secure of thy blessed protection, and our sure indemnity! O God, do thou keep my eyes ever open, that I may still wait upon

thee, for thy gracious tuition, and the merciful accomplishment of thy salvation. Thou seest I have to do with those enemies that are never but waking, never but seeking all advantages against my soul: what can they do, when thine eye is ever over me for good? Oh, then, let mine eyes be ever unto thee, O God my Lord; in thee let me still put my trust; so shalt thou keep me from the snares that they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity (Psalm cxli. 8, 9).Hall's Devotional Works.

Poetry.

THE INVALID'S SABBATH-SONG. BY MRS. BUSHBY.

(For the Church of England Magazine.) THAT hallow'd morn returns once more, When earth's too anxious cares stand ó'er, When peace may be each bosom's guest, The toil-worn find a day of rest.

No distant sounds of busy life
Disturb mine ear; its stir, its strife,
Subdu'd, this holy day are still,
Obedient to its Maker's will.

The Sabbath-bells alone I hear,
Ringing their summons far and near,
Inviting all who fear the Lord
To come and listen to his word.

And now they cease, these Sabbath-bells;
But, hark! the solemn organ swells;
The voice of age and the voice of youth
Together praise the God of truth.

Unto thy sacred courts, what though,
Almighty God, I cannot go,
Nor, mingling with the Christian throng,
Unite in prayer and holy song?

Yet, Father, thou wilt not refuse
The worship of the lone recluse ;
Since from thy temples by thy will
She lives, alas, an exile still.

No; if with faith and fervent zeal
To thee she makes her low appeal ;
Though earth's assembled voices rise
In lengthen'd chorus to the skies;
Though angels' golden harps resound
With heavenly harmony around
Thy lofty throne-amidst it all
Thine ear will catch her whisper'd call.
Then since the Lord neglects me not,
Shall I dare murmur at my lot?

With comprehensive judgment things surveys,
And with unbiass'd justice causes weighs;
The poor will with unvaried patience hear,
Knows when to be indulgent, when severe;
Who no incorrigibly vicious spares,
Rewards the virtuous, and the wicked scares;
Complacence takes in doing good to all,
Wont mercy his chief favourite grace to call;
To the distress'd a soft compassion shews,
Strives all things in sweet order to dispose;
Whose will upright is to himself a law;
Who out of evils can advantage draw;
Whose purity no wilful stain can bear;
Who of his realm takes providential care;
Who power paternal, not despotic, claims;
In all things at God's glory chiefly aims.
Such is the prince, whose heaven-aspiring wings
Rise to the likeness of the King of kings-
The nearer he ascends that glorious height,
The more he grows God's favourite and delight.
BP. KEN.

Miscellaneous.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.-In the apostolic age the Church of Christ exhibited Christianity in its unblemished purity. The Holy Spirit, which had descended in the fulness of his effusion on the day of pentecost, poured upon her the continual dew of his blessing. Her Nazarites were purer than snow:" "her priests were clothed with salvation:" "great grace was upon all the people." "Of the rest durst no man join himself to them; but believers were the more added to the Lord." "Then"-in the interval of repose after the persecution of Saul of Tarsus-" then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in

the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." But the great enemy began early to sow his tares among the wheat; and we cannot descend far in the Church's history without meeting painful discoveries of his insidious operation. The epistles to the seven Churches of Asia, put upon record by the last of the apostles, bear distinct testimony to the withering influence of error; and other scriptural notices assure us of the incipient and secret working of the mystery of iniquity, though it was let hitherto, and restrained from its full development. The apostles, while yet living, had not only to put the infant churches on their guard, and to warn them against the "grievous wolves" that should "enter in among" them; but also to reprove them sharply for doctrinal aberrations on such vital points as the resurrection of the dead, justification by faith, and the sanctification of the Spirit. Passing beyond the limit of the apostolic age, we may still trace distinctly the subtle working of Satan, in corrupting the Gospel, which he could no longer effectually oppose. We see the Church of God "blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit:" Churches were planted in every quarter; "the word of God grew and multiplied;" idols were abolished, "and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." But in the mean time the spirit of error was working in opposition to the Spirit of truth; and we have only to glance at the present state of Churches which attained an early and distinguished celebrity-the Greek, the Syrian, the Abyssinian, and others-in which a dim and feeble light is glimmering still, but almost extinguished by the surrounding mists of superstition and ignorance, to be convinced of the too successful policy by which "the god of this world" has prevented "the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ" from shining with the

full splendour of its life-giving power. One fact in the case, though it may seem to have been the effect originally rather of oversight than design, yet by the consequences resulting from it, strongly marks the of the mischief and the method of its working. It is the want of the word of God in the languages understood and used by the people. It is a fact too pregnant with instruction to be lightly passed over, that in every corrupt form of the Christian Church there has been more than a neglect to instruct the people through the general reading of the Scripturesthere has been a negation of it, a prohibition against it; and "the key of knowledge" being thus taken away, by having the holy Scriptures locked up in an ecclesiastical language, the progress of error has been easy, and its triumph complete. The device of Satan has been in this case to establish human authority in religion; and, by turning the edge of the sword of the Spirit, to weaken and counteract his influences: and the sad result has been, that while the name of a Christian Church, and many of the forms of Christianity, have survived, it has been found in too many instances, that the communities which retained them have been no ways superior to the surrounding heathen in all that constitutes the distinguishing glory of Christianity-in knowledge, in holiness, in purity of principle, and general uprightness in walk and conversation. Professor Scholefield: a Sermon before the Prayer-Book and Homily Society.

PASCAL. I have read this afternoon the life of the

justly celebrated Pascal, a prodigy of piety as well superstition could not obscure the bright beams of as of genius and learning. All the clouds of papal gospel-light which irradiated his soul: never, perhaps, was free and sovereign grace more triumphant over anti-Christian error. The wood, hay, and stubble, the false doctrines, superstitious practices, and arrogant pretensions of the Church with which he held communion, and by which his conscience was 'in a measure enslaved, almost disappear to the eye of the faith, humility, self-denial, charity, and spiritual mindreader; and the gold, silver, and precious stones, the edness of his character render him an object of delight and admiration. Far from the mind of Protestants be the bigotry of the Roman Catholic, who limits salvation to the pale of his own Church. God sometimes manifests his presence in the midst of the burning bush; and evinces his almighty power by saving the subjects of his grace from being consumed by the perishable materials with which they are surrounded. But, perhaps, in these times, a specious candour, and a self-called liberality, is the more common and dangerous error among Protestants. The false tenets of popery are represented by many as of little practical consequence; and the spiritual danger of communion with her is greatly underrated. Thus indifference to a creed is substituted for that well-tempered judgment, which duly estimates the errors of a Church deeply infected with false doctrine, idolatry, and superstisaving truth is not extinct in her; and that it has, tion; and yet admits, on the evidence of fact, that through the ministration of the Spirit, produced in the darkest ages of that Church a thin and scanty harvest of souls.-P. Melvill, Esq.

SOCIETY. The meanest man may be useful to the greatest, and the most eminent stand in need of the lowest in a building, the highest and lowest stones add to their own mutual stability.-Bp. Sanderson.

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