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knowing whither he went; but waiting for the fullness of confirmation, and the promised rest.

Here our author takes occafion, by a very natural transition, to defcant on the danger of feparating the primeval theology from the chriftian difpenfation, on the advantage thus afforded to the cavils of infidelity, and on the feries of crimes and miferies which have resulted to the world in general, and to one nation in particular, from the erroneous practice, grounded on unfound principles; from fyftems of morality, patched together from broken fragments of revelation, in order to difprove the exercife of God's will as the neceffity of his law. [The manner in which the argument is managed, we fhall attempt in our next review to lay before our readers.] Jefus Christ, the fame yesterday, and to-day, and for ever; is the Lord, who in Eden comforted our progenitors; he is the angel of the old covenant and the meffenger of the new-the Jehovah of Ifrael, as well as the incarnate fon of God-the Lord of Hofts, the Prince of Peace, who fhall hereafter appear as the King of Glory-the eternal Mediator, for ever promifed to and for ever looked for by the faithful. The evidences of this important truth are propofed as the subject of meditation, during the whole courfe of a folemn feafon; fo as to concentrate every name by which the Redeemer has been called-every appellation by which he has been known to his people-every relation in which he ftands to them-in that one, which is in itfelf fo comprehenfive, and fo endearing, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,

In the fecond difcourfe (Genefis xxvi. 5.) Dr. Randolph felects the most ftriking and prominent features in the character of Abraham, the head of the patriarchal difpenfation, on whom the promifed bleffing was entailed. He fpeaks of the covenant into which God condefcended to enter with his chofen fervant, a confirmation of the promife originally made to Adam, and afterwards continued to Noah, on terms which, as they never could apply to a finite accomplishment, and never could be fulfilled in an earthly Canaan, muft therefore of neceffity point out to fome future inheritance. He adduces the ftrong teftimony of our Saviour in his declaration to the Jews, that he was himfelf the great object of hope and dependance to their venerable progenitor, accompanied with the folemn affertion of his uncreated and continued exiftence. But, as is very juftly obferved by the learned preacher, the point admits of being fairly argued on its own internal evidence, independently of extraneous illuftration: and he proceeds to do fo, in a manner which, as it would only fuffer by abridgment, we leave the reader to examine in the work itfelf. We wish to awaken a becoming degree of attention to a moft interefting performance, and to excite, not to fatiate, curiosity,

Returning to the eventful records of the patriarchal difpenfation, from its earliest period, Dr. R. traces the promife of redemption by means of atonement, through the oracles delivered to our firft parents, the acceptance of Abel's facrifice (doubtlefs offered according to fome ordained mode of worship) the tranflation of Enoch, and the miraculous circumftançes

circumstances attendant on the prefervation of Noah and his family. He dwells, with the utmoft force of reafoning, and the most complete fuccefs, on the argument refulting from the form and act of worfhip. with which Noah began the renewed duties of life upon his quitting the ark: while in the hiftory of Abraham, he views the typical hiftory of all true believers, who, in full affurance of faith, fojourn in the land of promife as in a ftrange country, looking for a better, that is an heavenly, habitation. From the root of Abraham, arose the visible church its heavenly nature, its progreffive growth, its bleffed fruit, were fully difclofed to him. It was not only made known to him that Chrift fhould be of his feed, but the calling of the Gentiles by which all the families of the earth fhould be bleffed, was a subject of diftin&t revelation from God. Through the whole patriarchal age, the fame guardian power watched over his fervants, leading them by type, figure, and prophetic direction, to juft apprehenfions of the true God, and to the performance of fuch worthip as would procure his favour and acceptance. Such was the religion of the patriarchal church, in the purity of which the ancient fathers of our faith lived and died, the religion of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jofeph, Mofes of the church in Judea, of the captivity in Babylon-the religion which by tradition was communicated to the Gentile world. And thus do we contemplate the Jehovah of the old covenant in the Redeemer of the new, and in the founder of chriftianity, the God of Abraham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob, who had declared, that befides him there was no Saviour. The notes on this fecond difcourfe, in proof and in vindica tion of the true and found philofophy and physiology of the book of Genefis, are uncommonly relevant and pertinent. We anticipate the fatisfaction which the reader will experience in their perufal. It was not in vain that Dr. Randolph enjoyed the friendship, and listened to the wifdom, of that excellent man to whom he proudly confeffes himself indebted for feveral valuable hints connected with his argu

ment.

To the third fermon (on Hebrews xi. 7.) we do not fcruple to give the palm of excellence. It is evidently written in our author's beft manner, with full knowledge of and deep reflection on his fubject, and con amore. To attempt an abftract or analyfis of this matterly compofition, would be to disfigure and mifreprefent it. It is fomewhat retrofpective, in point of chronological exactness, from the hiftorical facts difcuffed in the preceding difcourfe, but it takes its place, with infinite propriety and juftnefs, before the examen of the Mofaic difpenfation, which is the fubject of the fourth fermon.

The object of this interefting compofition will beft be explained in the words of Dr. Randolph :- Whatever," fays he, " may have been the mode or degree of divine communications, the tendency of them has been the fame-the revelation, the prophecy, and the miracle, all confpire to promote one heavenly purpofe-they are only the different part of a building unto God, Chiift being the chief corner ftone, and the work of redemption which neither the paffions of men

have fruftrated, nor any convulfions of nature altered, will remain firm and immovable upon the rock of our salvation, till the whole be completed in the final deliverance of the faithful. If we lofe fight of this grand and gracious defign, every thing which has paffed, or is now paffing, in the world, becomes a confufed revolution of events, which, like the waves of the fea, beat upon the fhore of time with a momentary noife, and foon fink into the calm of oblivion. The Chriftian may err in fome prophetic allufion; he may force a comparifon into fome remote junctures and dependencies, but he cannot fail to comprehend the leffon of righteousness, and to know his only creator, God."

But we must not anticipate on our own defign in the conduct of this critique, and therefore we reluctantly forbear to infert a fplendid and dignified application of the events immediately preceding the deluge to the awful circumstances of the prefent moment, and to the times in which we are now placed. It is a pleasure, however, which we reserve to the enfuing month for ourfelves and our readers.

In the mean time it will fuffice to fay, that the discourse now before us relates to the deftruction and renovation of the old world, to the faith of Noah, and the confequences of that faith, to the confecrated ark, the type, the figure, and the inftrument of falvation; to the infiction of fevere but juft vifitation, when the all-powerful WORD, which at the commencement of time had called the jarring and difcordant elements into order, now commanded their decompofition and diffolution, when the rains defcended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the fabric of the world; when it fell, and

great was the fall of it. Thefe ftupendous events are confidered as applicable to a future dreadful confummation, which will be fully and finally accomplished at Chrift's fecond coming to judgment, at the approaching diffolution of the world by fire, and the prefervation of the family of the faithful in the ark of his Church.

We fhould here clofe our remarks on Serm. 3, were we not particularly ftruck and pleafed with the obfervation on Genefis.

In this paffage is a remark, which we believe to be perfectly original, and eminently juft. The preacher obferves, that when the threatened vengeance was ready to fall, the hand of God, which had conducted the patriarch and his family into the hallowed fabric, there miraculously clofed them in; but the irruption of the mighty waters fhould prevail against all the powers of human art which had been exercifed in its conftruction, and perhaps, but in the laft crisis of danger, the multitudes condemned to die fhould attempt, by defperate violence, to obtain admiffion into the place of refuge which God had appointed for his faithful fervants only.

On our examination of the notes and illuftrations in the appendix, connected with this excellent fermon, we find one grateful and honourable remark, which in justice both to living and to departed excel'ence, ought not to be fuppreffed or overlooked. "It is with pride, though with painful remembrance, that I attribute the form and manner of

treating

treating this fubject, to fome notes of the late Lord Bishop of Norwich, Dr. Horne. Could he have left his ípirit with them, it had, indeed, been a legacy to the Chriflian world, which at his death was robbed of one of its bright ft ornaments. I could almoft fay, as Cicero did of Archias, -fi quid fit in me ingenii, quod fentio quam fit exiguum, I owe that little to his friendfhip, his converfation, and his writings. p. 234.

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On entering into an examination of the fourth fermon, on the Mofaic difpenfations, we feel ourselves half difpofed to retract the unquaJihed praife given to the antecedent difcourfe. If it be entitled to preeminence, it is only the pre-eminence which in cafes of almost equal excellence is due to the prima inter pares. There is not any feeling of the human mind which can be proof against the potency of the difcourfe now under confideration. Text, Deut. iv. 11. 12.

in mercy.

"And ye came near and food under the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. And the Lord fpake unto you out of the midst of the fire." The author is by this time arrived at the full dignity and intereft of his fubject.-Jam in fummo divinæ fublimitatis faftigio verfatur. Hitherto the triumph of the Church of God and the deftruction of its enemies have been feen, amidst bleffings and deliverances, in judgments and To the period of the Exodus no human record pretends to reach; but we have the ample and accurate teftimony of the Scriptures of God; by them the defign and scheme of PROVIDENCE is developed, the trials and rewards of expecting and patient faith before the law are detailed, the promulgation of that facred inftitute, with the concomitant fanctions and miracles that confirm it, together with the prophecies which teftify its purpose, and the glory that should follow, are all revealed, and all coincide to forn one great preparation to that most merciful and glorious event, wherein the feed of the woman was to bruife the ferpent's head, and all the families of the earth were to be bleffed.

Our author now proceeds to the hiftory of the people of God, the marvellous inftances of intervening Providence, and the miraculous train of events which accompanied their rescue from the Egyptian bondage, and fupported and directed them for a series of years in the barren and pathlefs wilderness. Here particularly he defcants on one of the most awful and tremendous appearances that ever was exhibited to the eyes of man, the manifeftation of divine glory on Mount Sinai at the moment of the promulgation of the law, when the fanctions of the first covenant, as preparatory to the fecond, were confirmed in the word and in the prefence of the deity. It had reference to a future Mediator, invested with divine prerogatives, and, through the legal difpenfation, known under the exalted titles of the Lord, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour and Redeemer, the Angel of the Covenant, the Strength of Ifrael, a Prophet, Prieft, and King, the Portion of Jacob, the Light of his People, and the Rock of their Salvation. The ceremonial law was an emblem of Chriftianity; and we have feen enough of accomplished prediction to prove that Our Sa

viour is the end of the law and the prophets; that he is the Alpha and Omega of his own revelations, and that they are a book fealed without It is with regret that we forbear to follow our author tainutely into the admirable series of arguments with which this difcourfe is continued and concluded, on the queftions, "Why the Mofaic law was promulgated?" and "Why in fo public, fo terrible a way ?" In referring our readers to the original work, we promife them the moft complete fatisfaction as to thefe interefting fubjects; where they will alfo find a mafterly, and, in our opinion, unanfwerable ftatement of the cafe with respect to the spiritual nature of the, rewards and punishments implied and involved in thofe temporal ones annexed to the performance or non-performance of the law.

The conclufion of Difcourfe 4, in which the evidence is fummed up, and practically applied to our own fituation and circumftances, is full of energy and fublimity. It is impoffible not to add, that it was delivered with the utmoft effect and moft feafonable propriety as an advent fermon, on the Sunday immediately preceding the feftival of our Lord's nativity.

"To confirm the meffage of mercy to fallen man, and with every predicted mark of the heavenly vifit, to give fulfilment to prophecy, at the appointed period of time, came the promifed REDEEMER." This great event is the fubject of the difcourfe next in fucceffion (Text John i. 11.) to which we are now about to introduce our readers, and with refpect to which we would point out, as a proof of genuine tafte, the measured dignity and equable tenor of the style and language, happily difcriminated from the elevated diction of the two preceding difcourfes, on fubjects connected with circumftances of terror. We are now led to

commemorate and to welcome the advent of our infant Saviour: to confider the myfteries of his birth, the dignity of his character, and the bleffednefs of his commiffion. Through every difpenfation the original promife of redemption moved onward to its final accomplishment. The hope which Adam was taught to encourage, renewed to Noah, and confirmed to Abraham; the fucceffion foretold by Mofes, the prefigurations of the Temple, the fpirit of prophecy, and the expectation of ages, are all carried forward without a single defect of testimony, to center in Jefus Chrift the fame yefterday and to-day, and for ever. Under fo many defcriptions and characters, and with much attefting pledges, has the Almighty guarded this covenanted truth, that unless it be admitted, facred hiftory has no reality, and prophecy no interpretation. The million of Chrift, the caules which influenced the Jews in their too general rejection of him, the nature of the evidence which they refilled, their own difcomfiture and ruin which followed, and the unexampled national punishments which have fallen upon them, are all urged with irrefiftible force of argument; and at the fame time with pious deference to the unfearchable and myfterious will of God, which in many inftances cannot be measured by the ftandard of finite intellect, againft which there lies no appeal, concerning which to difpute is to rebel. With thefe impreffions,

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