Part 3

At some places, probably, the preachers might teach a school: although that is not the best way a preacher might be employed; yet, in an emergency, it might be adopted. The subject, however, _deserves_ serious consideration. We want "a long pull, a strong pull, and a pull altogether;" and then something might be done. Again: is there that union, and cordiality, and brotherly kindness, and Christian affection, and personal intercourse, between the rich and the poor amongst us, which our Master has enjoined and _commanded_? I trow not. Until _this_ is effected, how can we expect prosperity and increase? Do we not also want more prayer--secret prayer for each other; social prayer; and, when we pray, that we may love each other, ought we not _to do it_, "not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth?"

=A Baptist of the Old School.=

POETRY.

A BROKEN HEART.

What makes me court seclusion's shade, And shun this vain world's gay parade, Whose pleasures blossom but to fade? A broken heart.

What makes me heave the deep-drawn sigh, And raise to heaven my weeping eye, And inly groan--I scarce know why? A broken heart.

What makes me bend before God's throne, There all my guilt and misery own, And seek my help from Christ alone? A broken heart.

What makes the word of life so sweet, That I could sit at Jesu's feet, And never quit that dear retreat? A broken heart.

What makes the cross such charms to wear, That while I gaze and linger there, No room is left for dark despair? A broken heart.

What is it mellows all my joy, Weans me from every earthly toy, And leads to bliss without alloy? A broken heart.

What spreads new rapture through the skies? 'Tis when a soul for mercy cries, And angels see with wondering eyes A broken heart.

What though the wounds of sin are sore, Jesus, my Lord, has balm in store; I'll use it, till I feel no more A broken heart.

COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

I love to hear the rising songs That celebrate the Saviour's name Attuned by kindred hearts and tongues, Who think, and feel, and speak the same.

No voice of discord there is heard; No thoughts unholy or unkind; No jarring, unharmonious word, To mar the melody of mind.

No more the party-wall of pride, Erected by one common foe, The hearts of brethren shall divide, While passing through the vale below.

No more, secluded and unknown, In isolated paths they tread; Nor speed their devious way alone, Till numbered with the silent dead.

One faith is beaming in their eye; One hope within their bosom glows; While hastening to the realms on high, The blissful region of repose.

One is the heaven-born joy they feel; The holy peace and calm delight That each enraptured spirit seal, When Calvary opens on their sight.

One Lord redeemed them with his blood, And rose triumphant from the tomb, To lead them to one Father--God, Whose smiles their darkest hours illume.

One Spirit breathes in every soul With life, and power, and love divine; Diffusing radiance through the whole, Till bright in holiness they shine.

And in one home they all will meet, Their dangers and their sorrows o'er; And one delightful theme repeat,-- United there to part no more.

=Eta.=

REVIEWS.

_Memoir of the Life and Writings of the Rev. Joseph Ivimey, late Pastor of the Church in Eagle Street, London, and twenty years gratuitous Secretary to the Baptist Irish Society._ By =George Pritchard=.--Wightman.

If there be a name which more than any other merits honourable mention in this periodical, it is unquestionably that of =Joseph Ivimey=. He was one of its earliest correspondents, contributed largely, in various ways, to bring it up from Tiverton to London, and wrote frequently in all its departments. He was ever ready to cheer its friends, and to fight with its enemies; for the interest of our ministers' widows lay very near his heart, and in all his multifarious engagements in relation to this object, he was evidently stimulated by Christian compassion.

The name of Mr. I. will be identified with all the great institutions connected with the denomination to which he thought it an honour to belong; and, more especially, in the list of Ireland's benefactors he is certainly destined to hold a very distinguished place. Our departed brother knew that words are cheaper than stones in the street; but it will be remembered that on one occasion, particularly, he devoted much time, and labour, and property, and influence, by which he encouraged the committee to send over ship-loads of necessary food to keep the poor Irish alive from famine.

Mr. I. was born at Ringwood, in Hampshire, May 22nd, 1773. It appears, from the interesting narrative before us, that he lived in ignorance and unbelief till he was 18 years old. Mr. Thomas Williams,[A] in the presence of his two maternal aunts, said to him one day, "Young man, do you know any thing of these things?" With an honest promptitude, by which his whole life was characterized, he unhesitatingly replied, "I know nothing at all about them." But the arrow had gone deep into his heart; and nothing but the balm of Gilead could save him. Subsequently he derived much benefit from Elisha Cole's popular book on Divine Sovereignty, and from a sermon delivered by Dr. Steadman. He was baptized at Wimborne, September 16th, 1790, by the late Rev. John Saffery. In the following year he removed to Lymington, and derived much instruction from the Rev. James Barnett, who still survives, and is in communion with the church at Eagle Street.

[Footnote A: Afterwards an Independent Minister, at Bradford.]

He came first to London in April, 1793, and communed with the church in Keppel Street, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. J. Martin. Occasionally, also, he heard Mr. Swain at his Lord's-day evening lecture, in Devonshire Square.

"In taking the coach by which he was to depart, he silently said, 'I will never see this London again.' But the words of the prophet are greatly to be preferred: 'O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.'" p. 34.

In 1794, he removed to Portsea, and was married July 7th, 1795. By this marriage he had two sons, and four daughters: one son and one daughter survive to lament the loss of their father. Early in 1803, when nearly thirty years of age, he was encouraged to preach by the church at Portsea, to which he and his wife were united, under the care of Joseph Horsey and Daniel Miall, who were co-pastors. Relinquishing secular business, in September, 1803, he removed, with his wife and two children, to Wallingford, and became assistant to Mr. Lovegrove. Having occupied the station at Wallingford nearly twelve months, he was invited to Eagle Street, in consequence of the resignation of the late Rev. William Smith. In July, 1804, he removed to that same London of which, at an early period, he had thought so lightly; and there the remaining half of his life was happily, honourably, and usefully spent. He died February 8th, 1834. But why should we further pursue the narrative? From the date of his settlement in London, he was "an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men."

The narrative is full of incidents, with which are interspersed many most judicious reflections; and in the "Conclusion" we have a correct and complete delineation of Mr. I.'s character. We are deliberately of opinion that it could not have been intrusted to better hands than those of his esteemed colleague in the gratuitous secretaryship of the Irish Institution, who has executed his task in a very pleasing and edifying manner, with great delicacy and fidelity; much to the credit of his own piety, judgment, and taste. We are happy to add that the work is very neatly got up, very correctly printed, and ornamented with a good likeness of our deceased brother.

Mr. I.'s ministry was greatly blessed from on high. The congregation was never before so large, new members were added continually, and the place of worship was considerably enlarged.

"From the records of the church it appears that during his pastorate more than eight hundred were added to its fellowship. Twenty young men were encouraged to give themselves to the work of the Christian ministry, four of whom received missionary appointments, and two are at this time in Ireland, zealously exerting themselves in the service of the Baptist Irish Society." p. 314.

And, in a letter dated in 1826, Mr. I. says, "The church now consists of more than 470 members." p. 192.

Of the great labour of his life, "The History of the English Baptists," in four large volumes, 8vo., we may venture to predict that it will be far more in demand before this century closes than it is now. The author, we believe, never received any thing like compensation while he lived; he will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Mr. I. believed, as did also the late Rev. James Dore, that when a man ceases to be a strict Baptist, there is no resting-place for his feet till he finds himself a strict papist.

But it cannot be justly maintained that our zealous brother shut himself up within the narrow precincts of his own denomination. So far from it that he had free and open communion with Christians of almost every name. Soon after he came to London, he was elected a member of the committee of the Religious Tract Society; and at the hospitable rooms of Messrs. Hardcastle and Reyner, Old Swan Stairs, near London Bridge, he cheerfully mingled with Churchmen, Dissenters, and Methodists, of every shade and every grade; all agreeing, however, to insist upon the leading doctrines of the gospel in all their publications. He was not, it is true, in the habit of going "to the house of God in company" with Mr. Taylor, the old Presbyterian Minister of Carter Lane, Doctors' Commons; nor with Dr. Winter, the Congregationalist; nor with Richard Philips, of the Society of "Friends;" nor with Mr. Butterworth, nor Dr. Adam Clarke, of the Methodist connexion; but he often "took sweet counsel" with one or another of these eminent persons; and with these more frequently than with many others, because they were among his nearest neighbours while his residence was in Harpur Street; nor was there among them all a more resolute and determined advocate in the great cause of civil and religious freedom, or in any of the pious and charitable institutions which beautify and bless our native land.

The excellent volume before us will show that our beloved brother, when most strenuously pleading for liberty, was quite alive to the claims of all lawful authority. He was for "laws and liberties combined," nor ever gave countenance to the daring and presumptuous schemes of any wild and unprincipled demagogues in this or in the sister island. His political creed, he has often been heard to say, was built upon the revolution of 1688, and the "Act of Settlement." He knew as well as any man what the House of Brunswick owes to the Protestant Dissenters; and what the Protestant Dissenters owe to the House of Brunswick. Let his printed funeral sermon for the Princess Charlotte, and another for the duke of Kent, and another for George the Third, be lasting monuments of the ardent and affectionate loyalty which he himself so deeply felt, and which he was assiduous to cherish in the ever-widening circle of his acquaintance.

Many of his constant hearers must have been aware that their pastor's heart and house were open to ministers and other friends from all parts of England; to many from Wales, Scotland, and Ireland; and that his correspondence with North America was frequent. But very few of them probably could ever guess at the number of private applications that were made to him by letter for his advice and assistance. No man was more public; and yet, by early rising, and still more by a strong desire to be useful, he had formed himself to habits of promptitude and facility in the dispatch of business, that to ordinary minds were truly surprising. Always alive and awake, he knew every thing that was done in _London_ to promote the cause of Christ, or to hinder it. Enjoying the confidence, and the occasional visits, of such men as Saffery and Steadman, and Fuller and Hinton, and Kingborn and others, he was no stranger to whatever occurred in the _country_.

May the amiable young pastor who succeeds, with all his brethren in office, and every other member of the much-favoured church in Eagle Street, long continue to flourish under the smiles of the Great Head of the church, without whose gracious influence nothing is strong, nothing is holy!

We might have added that Mr. Pritchard has appended to the Memoir a few abbreviated sermons of our lamented friend, which, no doubt, will be often read by those who heard them; and from which strangers may learn something of the spirit and style of the minister at Eagle Street, in his ordinary pulpit exercises on the Lord's-day, and on week-days.

If it be said, "Mr. Ivimey was sometimes wrong in temper, or wrong in his measures," the answer is, "This may be easily said, and justly, of every good man that breathes, who is in active life."

But, after making every concession that could be extorted from candour and truth by the most jealous and jaundiced prejudice, we need not fear to assert that much, very much, will remain, to excite admiration, and gratitude to the great Author of all good, in his sincerity, clear as crystal to the bottom; in his unquenchable zeal for the glory of God, and the best interests of mankind; in the labour, the energy, and unfainting perseverance with which he pursued his object; in the noble disinterestedness which he evinced on all occasions;--and these, all will admit, were the most prominent features of his character.

If this work meets with only half the attention it deserves, it will be extensively read in this country and in America; and the zeal displayed in the full-length portrait of "a good minister of Jesus Christ," will provoke very many.

We had marked several striking passages for quotation; but, on reconsidering the matter, deem it best to recommend the whole to all those of our readers who have not already seen it.

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_Scripture Views of the Heavenly World._ By =J. Edmondson=, A.M. _pp._ 260.--Mason.

This work is written in a very serious, unpretending manner; and if it do not greatly augment our knowledge of heaven, either as a place or a state, yet it supplies such varied and valuable elements of thought, and exhibits so much to enkindle ardent desire, that, as a volume of piety, it deserves to rank high. We think, indeed, it is scarcely possible that any one, whose affections are in any degree set upon the things which are above, should read it without deriving considerable advantage. On the sublime subject of heaven, the venerable author (for so we understand we may denominate him) mentions twenty views:--"There is a Heavenly World--Scripture Names of Heaven--God is present in Heaven--The Presence of Jesus in Heaven--No Sufferings in Heaven--No Death in Heaven--No Night in Heaven--No War in Heaven--Heaven is a holy Place--Heaven is a happy Place--Heaven is a glorious Place--Happy Employment in Heaven--Extensive Knowledge in Heaven--We shall know each other there--Many Ranks and Orders in Glory--The Religion of Heaven is Love--The Resurrection Body in Heaven--The Pleasures of Heaven are pure--The Wicked are shut out of Heaven--Heaven is eternal."

The preface contains some succinct and sensible observations on the immortality of the soul. Among others, the following occurs:--

"Ideas of good and evil, right and wrong, are planted in the human heart. And there is in good men, what might be in all, a continual cleaving and approximation to the Deity. When sin is committed, it is followed by a sense of guilt and a fear of punishment, except in those hardened sinners who have debased themselves by a long course of disobedience. All these principles, when carefully cultivated, are accompanied with ardent longings after immortality; and they prove that man is connected with a higher order of beings than those who are around him here, and that he is designed for a higher state than that in which he now stands. For we perceive nothing of this kind among the inferior creatures of our world. They are not, nor ever will be, capable of knowing moral good and evil, much less of knowing the God who made them. And will man, with his superior powers, die for ever?"

Without pledging ourselves for the correctness of every sentiment or sentence in the pages of this useful work, we would earnestly recommend it to the attention of our readers generally.

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_Two Years' Residence in the New Settlements of Ohio, North America; with Directions to Emigrants._ By =D. Griffiths=, Jun. pp. 197.--Westley and Davis.

The information and advice contained in this small volume must be very valuable to those, especially, who contemplate a transition to Ohio, with the intention of making it the place of their permanent abode. The worthy author appears to have been a very diligent observer of men and things during his short sojourn in the new world, and to have faithfully recorded the result of his observations. Reason and experience unite to testify that, in removing from place to place, little can be calculated upon besides an exchange of one class of difficulties for another; and in many more instances than are disclosed, it is highly probable that, could the former be resumed, it would be thankfully accepted. Such, at least, has been our impression from all the accounts we have yet read of emigrants and emigration. For the edification of our readers we give the following extract:--

"It may surprise an Englishman, if he be unacquainted with the American character, that farmers, who were well off in New England, should leave a comfortable home for the wild woods of Ohio. The best explanation of this fact may be furnished, perhaps, by a comparison of the English and American character, given in an American publication, called 'The Biblical Repository,' although penned for another purpose. 'This is connected, no doubt, with a great feature of European character, which at once strikes Americans, that all ranks and classes there have a far _greater enjoyment of the present_ than ourselves. Our national character, so far as we have one, consists in a spirit of enterprise, excited by the desire of improving our condition. It may be shortly styled a _love of gain_--gain, not only of wealth, but also of reputation, of comfort, of happiness; gain of all that is supposed to be desirable. Our enjoyment consists more in striving after this gain, in anticipations and in the very act of acquiring; theirs, in possession and quiet fruition.' Local attachments, domestic comfort, and almost every kind of present temporal happiness, in the English sense of the term, give way to the love of gain. Unquestionably, this was the principle which led many of the New Englanders to Ohio; and certainly the organ of acquisitiveness must be very prominent in the Yankee cranium, for I never met with a farmer there, however long he had been settled, or however comfortably, but would, from this same love of gain, sell out, and move away." p. 53.

More than eighty pages of this volume are devoted to the subjects of "Temperance Societies," and "Religious Revivals:" these should certainly obtain close attention from the reader. Concerning the latter there will, no doubt, still be much difference of opinion; yet, if it be indulged with candour, and expressed with affection, it may be rather beneficial than injurious.

* * * * *

_Twenty Sermons._ By the late Rev. =W. Howels=, Minister of Long Acre Episcopal Chapel. pp. 440.--Shaw.

It is to be lamented that the reputation of the deceased so often suffers from the defective prudence of the surviving. We have no doubt that these sermons were delivered from the pulpit by the respected individual whose name they bear, and that, by those who knew and valued him as a preacher, they may be read with pensive pleasure and real advantage. But we have also no doubt that, could Mr. Howels have been consulted, he would have refused his consent to their publication, till they had been submitted to his careful and severe revision. That they contain many admirable sentiments and sentences, we readily admit; but, unhappily, some of the most striking and valuable paragraphs are seriously injured by rash and inconsiderate expressions, which an extemporaneous and energetic speaker, in the fervour of oral communication, may be induced to utter, but through which, were he preparing his discourses for the press, and therefore for cooler inspection, his pen would be unsparingly drawn. Without having said thus much, we could neither have discharged our duty to ourselves nor our readers; but with such cautionary intimation we can cordially commend them to their perusal.

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_The Domestic Harp._ By =David Ives=. pp. 80.--Baynes.

The worthy author of this small neat publication says, "A few of these pieces have appeared before, in a periodical, called 'The Christian's Pocket Magazine.'" He remarks, also, in his short preface, "No glossary will here be required, but one member of a Christian family may safely read them to another with the certainty at least of being understood; and, the author feels a satisfaction in adding, without the danger of offending the most sacred affection." The reader of these verses will find that, while the preceding commendation is fully sustained, the author might have gone even further. But as he has not, we will. These poetical effusions are not only plain and pious, they are sensible and instructive; and though they may not exactly range with the more lofty efforts of poetic genius, yet they contain passages and pieces which would not suffer by comparison with many which might be referred to in more splendid volumes, the product of illustrious names. The following specimen is selected, not on account of its superiority, but because it best suits our space.

LINES FOR AN ALBUM.

"When thinking on the ways of man, This little rule did rise,-- That he who lives without a plan, Will die without a prize.

Reflection still to those who hear This further guide hath given,-- That the best plan is godly fear, And the best prize is heaven."

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_The Sacred Classics. Expositions on the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments; with Two Discourses on Matthew xxii. 37-39, and Hebrews iii. 10. To which are added Expository Lectures on Psalm xxxix._ By =Robert Leighton=, D.D., Archbishop of Glasgow. With an Introductory Essay, by =John Pye Smith=, D.D., pp. 292. Hatchard.

The distinguished names inscribed on the title-page of this volume of the "Sacred Classics" cannot be rendered more eminent by our commendation. The praise both of the deceased and the surviving is in all our churches; and their works, we doubt not, will continue to edify and adorn the human mind from generation to generation.

BRIEF NOTICES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS.