nor to jest, so as to wound the feelings of another. 10. To say as little as possible of myself, and those who are near to me. 11. To aim at cheerfulness, without levity. another. found, that associations in the most orderly way for edification, are the most edifying. And it was long ago foretold, That when religion should be in danger to be lost, it should be this way It is experimentally 12. Not to obtrude my advice preserved; They that fear the unasked. 13. Never to court the favor of the rich, by flattering either their vanity or their vices. 14. To respect virtue, though cloathed in rags. 15. To speak with calmness, and deliberation on all occasions, especially in circumstances which tend to irritate. 16. Frequently to review my conduct, and note my failings. 17. On all occasions to have in prospect the end of life, and a future state. 18. Not to flatter myself that I can act up to these rules, however honestly I may aim at it. FRAGMENTS. .... RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. THE private meetings of religious people, for the exercises of religion, where they have been kept alive, and under a prudent conduct, experience tells us, that the christians who have composed them, have like so many liv. ing coals, kept one another alive, and preserved the life of chris. tianity in the vicinity. But the dying of these has been accompanied with a visible death upon the power of godliness; the less love to them, the less use of them, there has been in any place, the less all godliness flour. ished there. For such religious societies you have your sufficient warrant, Thess. v. ii. Edify one VOL. I. New Series. Lord, shall often meet together that they may speak one to another. It is then earnestly to be commended unto the neighbours, that they would form religious societies, and carry on the usual exercises of religion in them I mean prayers, and psalms, and repetitions of the sermons that have been publicly delivered and modest, gracious, communicative conferences on points of practical christianity: That where any persons belonging to such religious societies fall off through any temptation, the rest would endeavor to recover them; and where any are taken off by mortality, they would immediately use a proper endeavor to recruit their num. ber: That they admit no discourse to be brought into the religious societies, that shall have any taint of calumny or vanity, or intermeddle with what belongs not unto them. Societies of godly families, intending to be blessings unto one another; societies preparatory to the communion of the Holy Supper; societies of young men spending the Lord's day evening in a profitable manner, and proving nur. series to the churches; these are all to be encouraged. Oh! let these tribes live and not die, and let not their men, or their days, be few! But then, I would earn. estly make this motion to them; that the religious societies, would now and then spend some time in 2 X considering that question, What good may we do in our neigh. borhood? and put on the character and intention of reforming societies. Consider yet more particularly; First, Who are to be called upon, to come unto special ordinances, that have hitherto neglected them? Secondly, Who is in a special adversity, and what shall be done to succour and comfort them? Thirdly; What open miscarriages do any live in, and who shall carry need. ful, and faithful admonitions to them? Excellent things would issue out of such societies, and combinations; religion would find from them the issues of life! Dr. Mather's Pastoral Desires. THE rage of enemies is always more active and more lasting than the affection of friends. It of. ten happens, that some who are very much pleased to find one stand forth as a champion for their religious or political opin. ions, and ready to go as it were in the front of the battle; when their enemies, smarting with the wounds he has given them, tra. duce and vilify his character, these esteemed friends, often, in a great measure, give it up, and discover much satisfaction with themselves, that they had acted in a wiser and more cautious manner. Witherspoon's Eccles. Characteristics. The doctrines contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and catechisms, I am persuaded are not only true in themselves, but the great foundation of all practical religion. Wherever they are maintained and incul. cated, strictness and purity of life and manners will be their natural effect. On the contrary, where they are neglected, and pretended theory of moral virtue substituted in their room, it will immediately and certainly introduce a deluge of profanity and immorality in practice. Ibid. ANECDOTES OF ST. JOHN. This venerable apostle, in one of his circuits among the christians, observed a remarkably handsome young person, he warmly recommended him to the care of a particular pastor. The young man was baptized, and for a time lived as a christian. But being gradually corrupted by company, he became idle, intemperate, and at length so dishonest, as to become a captain of a band of robbers. Some time after John had occasion to inquire of the pastor concerning the young man, who told him that he was now dead to God, and inhabited a mountain over against his church.* John, in the vehemence of his charity, went to the place, and exposed himself to be taken by the robbers. Bring me, says he, to your captain, who beheld him coming. As soon as he knew the apostle, he was struck with shame and fled. The aged aposthe following him cried, My son, why flyest thou from thy father, unarmed and old? Fear not, as yet there remaineth hope of salvation. Believe me, Christ hath sent me. Hearing this, the young man stood still, trembled, and wept bitterly. John prayed, exhorted, and brought him back to the society of christians, nor did he leave him, till he found him fully restored by divine grace. Clem. Alex. apud Euseb. THIS apostle, being very old, and unable to say much in christian assemblies, "Children, love one another," was his constant ly-repeated sermon. Being ask. ed why he told them only one thing, he answered, that nothing Milner. else was needed. REVIEW. A Selection of Psalms and Hymns, embracing all the varieties of subject and metre, suitable for private Devotion, and the Worship of Churches. By WILLIAM EMERSON, A. M. Pastor of the First Church in Boston. Boston: Munroe, Francis, and Parker, 1808. In our review of the Brattle Street Hymns, we took occasion to express our strong disapprobation of that attempt to lower, in the estimation of christians, through the medium of their songs of praise, the character and merits of the Redeemer. We have now the disagreeable task of an. nouncing another effort of a sim. ilar kind, which threatens more injurious effects, as it appears before the public, not as a supplement, nor as a work designed for a single congregation, but as a complete collection of psalms and hymns inviting universal adoption. This selection, like the other, is made from writers of almost every shade of religious character, from the most strenuous advocates of the christian faith, down to the "suspected" and even open infidel. The Editor, in taking this extensive range, has made a collection of very heterogeneous materials; yet by rejecting whatever relates to the divinity and worship of the Saviour, and, in various other particulars, shaping these productions to his fancy, he has succeeded in introduc. ing into this volume much more uniformity of character than could have been expected. One method of effecting the transformations with which we every where meet, has been to take a part only of a psalm or hymn as it stands in the works of its author. Parts of different psalms and hymns, on the same or differ. ent subjects, are likewise brought together, stanzas and parts of stanzas being taken as the occasion required. This to most persons would have been an ardu ous undertaking, as a part can hardly be taken from a composition of this length, without destroying the plan of its author. What is omitted will often be necessary, to illustrate fully what is retained. Mr. E. however, seems to have experienced very little difficulty in this part of his work. In most instances he has left the reader to conjecture what more should be added to complete the design. In some desperate cases, where the materials were more stubborn, and the union more difficult to effect, he has made an effort suited to the exigency, and cemented the parts with what is presumed to be his own composition. It may be said, that many of these omissions are necessary on the plan of the editor, which requires every psalm and hymn to be confined within the limits of a page. But it seems much more probable, that the plan was adopted for the sake of the omissions, than that the omissions have been made for the sake of the plan. If, indeed, Mr. E. has done such violence to these compositions, often destroying the scheme of the writer, and thus rendering the exhibition of various subjects imperfect, omitting what is instructive and highly poetical, for what has neither of these qualities, and all-that his psalms and hymns might be just a page in length; he has been guided in his work by one of the oddest fancies that ever haunted the brain of a book-maker. The fact is, however, that for some reason or other, if a psalm or hymn happens to be too long for his page, he applies the shears till it is sufficiently reduced; and if, on the contrary, it is too short when measured by the same scale, new stanzas are introduced, not always with much regard to their quality, till it is expanded to the proper dimensions. After being stretched upon this bed of torture, no wonder that these psalms and hymns appear as the mere skeletons of what they once were; and the reader will not be surprised, however conversant he may be with books of devotional poetry, at the difficulty which he finds in recognizing many of his most intimate acquaintance. Mr. E. has not, however, undertaken to palm this volume upon the public, as containing the genuine productions of those men to whom they are ascribed in the index. In his preface, he has given the following statement of the principles upon which this work has been executed. "In this selection of psalms and hymus from the best writers, there are such occasional alterations from the original verse, as it is hoped will be thought important and salutary. It has been my endeavor not so much to multiply the meansof this species of devotion, as to reject what savors of party spirit and sectarian notions; and not so much to choose what is new and rare, as what is pure, scriptural, and excellent, is congenial to the temper of the gospel, and feeds the fire of love which the gospel enkindles-" That whenever any material alterations are made in the lauguage or sentiments of an author, the editor is under obligation to give notice of it to the reader, was maintained in a late number of this work. Mr. E. in our stance a plain duty to the pubopinion has performed in this incommendation, since the omislic, for which he is entitled to sion of this duty has of late considering the nature and exbecome so fashionable. But tent of his alterations, has he said enough? Are his variations only? If it is not a doctrine of from his originals "occasional" Son of God," "the brightness revelation that Christ is "the of his glory, and the express image of his person ;" if it is not true that all men should honor Father," and that "he that houthe Son even as they honor the oreth not the Son honoreth not the Father;" let it be fairly statthe great object of this Selection, ed. Let it be fully known what is and for what class of christians it is intended. If, in such a case as this, it was proper to exclude, what has so long been considered by the great body of the church, as essential to its worship, it was certainly proper to state explicitly the reasons of such exclusion. If a discovery has really been made, and improper and even idolatrous worship is offered in our churches, why not let them see at once the magnitude and extent of the evil, and not wait the slow and uncertain progress in reformation to be made, by hints, inferences, and insinuations? From an attentive perusal of this volume, and a comparison of some of the psalms and hymus which it contains, with the originals, we feel able to state, what the Editor himself should have stated, that one important purpose it is intended to answer, is gradually to abolish all reverence for the Redeemer as a divine person, and to prevent those prayers and praises from being offered to him, the necessity and propriety of which is so apt to be felt by those, who adopt in their worship the psalm books commonly in use. To state all, or even a principal part of the variations from the original psalms and hymns which Mr. E. in pursuance of his design has introduced into this Selection, would very far exceed our limits. To give them all would be to reprint the volume. A few passages only, from those parts, in which Mr. E. has very clearly exhibited his own views of some of the principal doctrines of the scriptures, can be the subject of remark. The forty-fifth psalm is ex tracted from Watts, who entitles it, "The glory of Christ and power of his gospel," Mr. E. entitles it, "The glory of Christ's kingdom." The following are two of the stanzas as they stand in Watts. "Now be my heart inspir'd to sing The glories of my Saviour king; Jesus the Lord; how heavenly fair His form! how bright his beauties are !" "Thy throne, O God, forever stands, Grace is the sceptre of thy hands; Thy laws and works are just and right, Justice and grace are thy delight." The following are the corresponding stanzas in Mr. Emer son's Selection. "Our hearts a grateful theme shall sing, The glories of our Saviour King; Our ton ues his merits shall proclaim And speak the honors of his name." "Th' eternal God supports his throne, Our joyful hearts his sceptre own; For all his laws and works are right, Justice and truth are his delight.' Dr. Watts, however, is supported in his application of this psalm of David by the authority of St. Paul, a commentator in whose opinions we are in the habit of confiding. The forty-seventh psalm is' from Watts, and by him entitled, "Christ ascending and reigning." Mr. E. entitles it, after it has passed his correction; "Rational and devout Praise." The second stanza is omitted. The reason of its rejection is evident from the first line. "Jesus our God ascends on high." In the hundred and eighteenth psalm is the following variation. WATTS. "Hosanna to th' anointed king, To David's holy son; Help us, O Lord, descend and bring, Salvation from thy throne." EMERSON. "Hosanna! the anointed king Ascends his destin'd throne; To God your grateful homage brings And bow before his throne." |