know our Divine Redeemer, in one of his last discourses, appropriates exclusively to himself:"I am the true Vineye are the branches-my Father is the Husbandman." Gracious God! am I a branch in that heavenly vine? Then "to grace how great a debtor!" By nature I sprung from a degenerated tree, and brought forth no fruits but such as were wild and deleterious even my good works, as I vainly called them, were rather noxious berries than nutritious grapes: they were indeed fair to view, but useless and pernicious. Thanks to the gracious Husbandman, that grafted me into this vine, and enables me, in some degree, to bear fruit to his glory! And O! how delightful is it thus to draw all my life, and joy, and hope, from his heavenly root! My dear young friends, I hope you also are branches in this living Vine."

"And are not all christians branches of this Vine?" replied Juvenis; "how is it then that they do not all bear such fruit? and what, dear Sir, is the meaning of that threatening" Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, shall be cut off, and cast into the fire?" *

Eusebius, who is ever ready to encourage, and happy to resolve such enquiries, immediately rejoined: "In a cer'tain sense, it is true, that all who profess christianity are ingrafted into Christ; but then you are to recollect (if you understand the process of grafting) that it is not every graft which succeeds, or becomes a living branch. It is not enough to be implanted, and bound upon the tree, but there must be a vital union and communication with the sap and so it is in religion. Many are tied (as it were) to christianity by education, or by interest; but to be christians indeed-to be fruitful branches in this Vine, we must, by the influences of the Holy Spirit, derive our life, our principles, the whole of our spiritual existence and enjoyments from Christ, just as the branches derive sap and nourishment from the parent-tree. But alas! for those whose union is only seeming, and their religion nominal, they bear no fruit, and what can they expect? When the Divine Husbandman prunes his Vine, they will be cut off, and thrown into fire unquenchable."

Reader,-Art thou enquiring the effect of this short conversation on Juvenis and Aspasia ?-Say first, what has been its effect on thee!

I

To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine.

Dear Sir,

LOVE to see a good Bible in the pulpit; and persuaded my late dear husband to make a present of a very handsome one for the use of our worthy minister. A stranger from the country lately preached for him. I had heard he was a zealous, good man; and I was so much pleased with his prayer, that I was resolved to invite him to stay at my house while he continued in town, and to make him a present of a few guineas. But when he began to preach, I could not repress my indignation when I perceived that he had folded down the leaves in twenty different places; and sometimes three or four were coarsely pressed together. It was with great difficulty I could refrain from speaking aloud, when I saw my poor dear husband's Bible thus mangled by a country clown. I got no good of the sermon, but a great deal of harm: and when he afterwards. called at my house with good Mr. M. our faithful pastor, I could hardly be civil to him.

Pray, Sir, publish this in your Magazine, to prevent others from doing the same. If ministers will fold down leaves, let them bring a small Bible of their own with them, and not abuse other people's books. I have, with grief, seen ministers beat the Bible till they loosened and separated the leaves. I think the word of God should not be so used. Is there not a respect due to the sacred volume? If they will beat with their hands, let them beat the cushion, or the boards. I remain, dear Sir, your constant reader and humble servant,

London, 4th May, 1802.

"DEATH

MARY LOVE THE WORD.

MORSELS OF CRITICISM.

REV. XX. 13.

EATH and Hell (Hades) delivered up the dead which were in them."-It is well known, that Hades is sometimes used, in a comprehensive sense, for the separate and invisible state of souls, both of the righteous and the wicked: "See Luke xvi. 23-Acts ii. 27, 30;" and in this place the term Death seems to be used as equally comprehensive; much more so than the grave; because, among the antients, it was customary to burn the ashes of the dead in other instances, they became food for the wild beasts of the forest, or the monsters of the deep. From these circumstances, a strong objection has been formed

agli st

against the resurrection of the dead. Revelation, however, silences all such objections, by referring to Omnipotence: "Is any thing too hard for the Lord?" And with respect to the fact, we are here assured, in the most comprehensive terms: "Death shall bring forth his victims from all the receptables in which their particles are deposited; and Hades shall deliver up the souls that inhabit both its hemispheres (if I may so express it)-Heaven and Hell."

ceive,

2 Sam. xiii. 8.

"And she took flour and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes."-The critics have been much perplexed with the noun here used for cakes, and the verb for making them, without stumbling upon the meaning, which appears to me the most simple, easy, and natural. The noun (b) for cakes, is evidently and closely related to (2) the heart, and means, I con"heart-cakes;" and the verb (35) here, means, to make into that shape, by moulding them in a pan or other vessel. So Tamar made her brother heart-cakes, a favourite kind of pastry with the Jews, as well as ourselves, to this day; and when she had baked them, agreeably to the simplicity of those early times, she poured (or pressed them) out of the pan in his presence. Unimportant as this Criticism may appear, it may be useful in assisting the Hebrew student to trace the radical idea of this word in some derivations, which have been thought very foreign to it.

QUERIES.

To the Editors of the Evangelical Magazine.
Sirs,

JOD.

It would much oblige me, if any of your learned Correspondents, through the medium of your Miscellany, would favour me with their thoughts on Isaiah liii. 8. first part"He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who "shall declare his generation?"-and the true meaning of the original Hebrew, as it is differently quoted in the Acts, in Philip's conversation with the Ethiopian Eunuch. Your inserting the above, will oblige yours, &c. HYDDYSC.

Mr. Editor, in reading a celebrated Author, I met with the following assertion: "I doubt not but a hypocrite, in confession, may have real trouble upon his spirit for his sins, and cordially, yea, passionately desire pardoning mercy." Query-How shall I be able to discriminate between his feelings, and those which are excited by the saving influences of the Holy Ghost? W. M. Gg 2

1

REVIEW OF RELIGIOUS PUBLICATIONS.

The Rudiments of the Greek Language shortly, and a Compendious Lexicon, for the use of those who wish to make themselves acquainted with the New Testament in the Original. By Greville Ewing.

It may seem a little disproportionate that this Grammar occupies more room than the Lexicon; the Author has, however, endeavoured to render the former as complete as possible, and devoted a con siderable part of it to the Syntax, which is accompanied with a Praxis. The whole is recominended by its perspicuity, and is particularly adapted for those who have not an opportunity of acade, mical instructions.

In the Lexicon, Mr. E. has studied to be concise, it being intended for learners only, and as an introduction to larger works. We understand Mr. Ewing intends publishing a Hebrew Grammar on the same plan and we think it would greatly promote his object to print a Translation of Dawson's Lexicon, with a similar work on the Hebrew, by W. Robertson, entitled, Manipulus Lingua Sancta et Eruditorum; which might be much improved.

The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, with Original Notes by Thomas Scott, Chaplain to the Lock-Hospital, with Nine Engravings, beside Titles and Vignettes to each part.

MR. Scott's talents are too well known to the Religious Public to need our commendations: suffice it to say, therefore, that the Notes to this volume are chiefly practical and experimental; and that, instead of being placed at the end, as in the first edition, they are subjoined to each page, which is certainly much more convenient to the reader.

The Assembly's Catechism Dissected, or an Easy Explanation of that excelLent Work, on the original plan of Dr. Wallis; in which the Answers are broken into short Questions, requiring no other reply than Pes, or No. With Notes explanatory of all the difficult words. By George Burder, Author of the Village Sermons.

It appears from the preface to this useful publication, that this method of explaining the Catechism was used by several eminent Ministers immediately after the Catechism itself was composed, par. ticularly by Mr. Lye, Minister of Alhallows Church, Lombardstreet, who says, “ Try the child's understanding, whether he doth discern truth from falsehood; which he is to manifest by saying only Yes or No, to such short questions as may be raised from the preceding answer." Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Henry, Mr. Some, and others, pursued the same plan. Parents and Ministers will find the laudable exercise of catechising their youthful charges much facilitated by this valuable little work.

Memoirs of the Rev. James Garie, Minister of the Gospel in Perth, with Extracts from his Diary, and an Appendix. Compiled by William Gar diner, Minister of the Gospel at Perth.

He that can read this book without profit, has to blame neither the Author nor Compiler, but himself. Here is a second Mr. Pearce; and had he met with as able a Biographer, the work would have been equally interesting.

Mr. Garie was truly a man of God. His soul was entirely devoted to his Master's cause; and in England, in Ireland, and in Scotland, he exercised his ministry with acceptance and success. His Diary, which occupies the principal part of the volume, shews us his heart; and it is the heart of a true Disciple of Jesus, and of a Preacher of his Gospel, burning with zeal for the glory of God, and the salvation of immortal souls. To young Ministers it will be peculiarly useful, and indeed to old ones too. Private Christians will find more than common benefit from it, Few of the servants of Christ that we read of, have been under an habitually deeper sense of spiritual things than Mr. Garie.

The former part of the volume contains a brief narrative of Mr. G.'s life. He was born in Scotland, educated in an Academy in England, and, preached here for a short time: he then went to Dublin, and preached there, and in other parts of Ireland, for some years, He afterwards returned to Scotland; and after various trials, died in the exercise of the Ministry at Perth, in the 39th year of his age, leaving behind him a widow and six small children in necessitous circumstances.

The amiable character of Mr. G. appears in nothing more than his meek and christian behaviour under the following trying circumstances :Mr. G. had a presentation to a living in a Church of Scotland a few years before his death; but some of the Members of the Presbytery having been prejudiced against him, through a false report relative to his political sentiments, were greatly averse to his settlement, and the affair was brought before the General Assembly, which consists partly of Ministers, and partly. of ruling Elders, amicably chosen and deputed for that purpose. There it was determined that Mr. G. was incapable of accepting a presentation to a parish in Scotland;" and the ostensible reason given was, having received his education at one of the Universities of Scotland, and according to the forms prescribed by acts of Assembly to Students of Divinity within this Church." This sentence appeared to many members' unprecedented; some of whom, in a formal manner, declared their dissent from it. But Mr. Garie's sentiments and feelings under it, will be seen in the following extracts from his Diary, p. 34,5.

"his not

"From the many changes in this business, my mind has been much exercised about it; and perhaps, yea without doubt, has too often been improperly exercised. May God, for Christ's sake forgive me wherein I have offended him in this respect, and enable me to profit by the dealings of his providence with me in it. Nothing, I know, takes place without his permission; and he may have permitted me to be evil spoken of, and improperly represented, to prevent my taking upon me a charge, for which I was and am unfit. I ought, therefore, to suspend forming any rash judgment of this providence, till the end of the Lord in it be seen. A consciousness of my total inability in myself, led me the other night earnestly to beg of God to lead me only where he would be with me; and to fix (if ever he does fix me in any place) only in that situation, which he would enable me to fill up to the glory of my Saviour, and the good of his church. Towards those who have opposed me in this affair, I wish to feel full forgiveness, and tender compassion; for they are injuring themselves more than me.. Towards the people of Brechin, I feel the sincerest gratitude, for their friendship and approbation. O that the gracious Head of the Church may send them Pastors after his own heart, even to the latest age!"

The publication is for the benefit of the widow and fatherless children; for whom, we are informed, a subscription has been set on foot, with conşiderable success. But yet there is room. What an enviable luxury to the rich, to be able and to have an opportunity to give in such a cause as this!

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