for two weeks and the almost unexampled unanimity that had marked the Church in their invitation. Mr. Guest also set forth the reasons that had weighed with him in leaving Reading, and then the principles that would guide him in his public ministrations, and his views of the great and essential Christian doctrines. It was most delightful to see the Rev. Thomas Scales ascend the pulpit, at this part of the service, to offer fervent prayers on behalf of his successor and the Church that so lately formed his charge. After this, the Rev. T. R. Barker, Classical Tutor of Spring Hill College, preached from Rom. i. 13 (latter part). The sermon, apart from its own excellence, was admirably adapted as a united charge to the Pastor and the Church. The Rev. H. R. Reynolds, B.A., the Rev. G. W. Conder, and the Rev. J. H. Morgan, also took part in the engagements of the evening. Altogether, the effect of the service, and of this union of the Churches, was most hallowed and gratifying.

HOMERTON COLLEGE.

THE Anniversary of this ancient Institution was held at the College, on Thursday, June the 27th. More than usual interest attached to this meeting, from the fact, that its venerable Theological Tutor, the Rev. Dr. John Pye Smith, retired, on this occasion, from his duties as Tutor,-an office which he had held with distinguished honour and success for a period of fifty years; and also, from the circumstance that it was the last Anniversary of the College as a separate Institution, since it will, for the future, form, in conjunction with Coward and Highbury Colleges, a part of the new Institution, denominated "New College, London." The Chair was taken by Samuel Morley, Esq., Treasurer, and there were a large number of the friends and supporters of the Institution present. The Reports of the Examiners, the Rev. John Kennedy, M.A., and the Rev. Robert Redpath, M.A., bore very satisfactory testimony to the attainments of the Students, and the diligent prosecution of their studies. An Essay on the Parables of our Saviour was read by the Senior Student, Mr. George Palmer Davies, B.A., who has accepted an invitation to become pastor of

the Congregational Church at Wandsworth, and the company expressed great gratification at the learning, ability, and good taste evinced in the Essay. The service was concluded by a most interesting address from the Rev. Dr. Pye Smith, in which the Rev. Doctor gave a succinct account of the history of the Homerton College Society from its foundation in the year 1730.

The friends present afterwards dined together in the library of the College. The company was addressed by Mr. Morley, the Chairman; Mr. Rutt, the Treasurer of the Congregational Fund Board; Professor Hitchcock, of the United States; the Revs. Thomas Binney, John Kennedy, Robert Redpath, Samuel S. England, the Tutors, and others.

All the speakers expressed their deep admiration of the varied knowledge, enlarged views, and sincere piety of their venerable friend, the Rev. Dr. Pye Smith, who, we rejoice to say, seemed in good health and excellent spirits. There was a very strong expression of opinion in favour of the New College, and a warm interest shown in its prosperity and success.

ORDINATION.

THE ordination of the Rev. J. Young, late of Newport Pagnell College, as pastor of the Church and Congregation assembling in the Independent Chapel, Orsett, Essex, took place in the morning and evening of Thursday, the 1st of August. The Rev. J. Whiting, of Wareham, read the Scriptures, and prayed. In the absence of the Rev. Mr. Pryce, B.A., of Gravesend, who had engaged to deliver the introductory discourse, but who, through indisposition, could not be present, the Rev. J. Tippetts, of Gravesend, described the nature of a Christian Church. The Rev. A. Brown, of South Ockendon, asked the usual questions; the Rev. J. Tippetts offered the ordination prayer; the Rev. John Watson, President of Hackney College, and Mr. Young's tutor, gave the charge; and the Rev. B. H. Klüht, of Billericay, preached in the evening. The services of the day were distinguished by an earnest, solemn, and devotional feeling; and it is believed they were blessed to the spiritual good of those present.

desire them to be of such a character as may contribute to the stability and increased prosperity of this extensive federation of the Congregational Churches of our country. Zeal, wisdom, and prayer, must blend their best influences to accomplish this happy result. Not that there is any cause for apprehension or despondency, but that the Union having resolved to part with its Magazines, one considerable branch of its activities and usefulness will thus be transferred to other management, and its future course will now require to be modified

and adjusted to these altered circumstances. It is well that the Union never derived any pecuniary support from those publications: hence, no financial loss or difficulty will be incurred by their transfer and may they prove, as hereafter conducted, yet more abundantly prosperous and useful than during their first vigorous years in connection with the Union! But the views and circumstances which led the last Annual Assembly to judge it wise not to continue the publication of Magazines by the Union, should be looked at with a wider application than to this one question only, as serving to indicate what line of action generally is most appropriate to its constitution, and will prove most available for its prosperity and usefulness.

It must never be lost sight of, that the very object and nature of our Association is unionthat the only bond of that union can be nothing else than agreement and harmony-that mutual love is its sole strength, and spiritual fellowship its only life. Moreover, it is a union of the free, not of the bond; neither was it ever intended to be, or can it be, a union to bind the free. Now, amongst the free and equal associates in this Union there must always be numerous diversities of opinion on various questions, many of them such as to take strong hold of the convictions, and to stir deeply the feelings, of earnest men. Some of these questions will not only produce divergent views and feelings among the members of our Union, but will also require of them different lines of private and public action, which each will pursue, in right of his unsurrendered liberty, with his own measure of energy, zeal, and discretion. On all such matters the Union must act, if at all, with great reserve and caution. Better that it should altogether avoid either utterance or action respecting them, if possible. For although, no doubt, in all human associations, civil, sacred, or even domestic, every member must find it unavoidable that the extreme rights of his personal liberty should be adjusted by the terms and advantages of his fellowship with others, yet, in such a Union as ours, these demands for forbearance must be limited within the narrowest possible bounds. This must be the first principle, and the pervading influence, of the entire policy and action of the Congregational Union.

Influenced by these and other grave considerations, many of the wisest friends of the Union have long judged that its action should be almost exclusively directed to promote the religious and spiritual interests of the denomination. Nor has this opinion resulted in the slightest degree from indifference to the many important objects, social, ecclesiastical, and political, agitating the public mind at this eventful period; and respecting which it is impossible but that enlightened Congregationalists should feel a deep interest, and many of them act an energetic part. But for these objects and activities there seem to be other organizations, in connection with which, members of the Union may most efficiently act their part; in some cooperating with their fellow-citizens at large, in others with Christians of various denominations: while the Union, having the character of, as it were, a domestic institution in the bosom of our own Churches, might bend its attention and energies to the sacred, the delightful work of promoting among them the life and power of spiritual piety, by the love, the coun

sels, the prayers, and the diffusive influence, for which its assemblies afford such happy opportunity. Nor, surely, can any one who attentively ponders the spirit and tendencies of the present period, as developed, not among our own Churches only, but in all Christian communities, doubt that the maintenance of scriptural and spiritual godliness is the first want of the times, and the first duty of every servant of Christ.

Now if this thought do indeed indicate the right line for the future course of the Unionif the brethren associated in the Union should generally concur in judgment that this is its elevated department of labour-if they should thereupon combine heart and hand to make the Union a happy medium of religious good to our pastors and Churches-then will the hearts of many rejoice, and the assemblies of the Union will be more than ever times of refreshing, seasons of delight, and well-springs of widespreading benefit to the Churches in these arid and drooping days.

In this view, might it not be a wise arrangement of the anticipated proceedings at Southampton, after the whole series have been, as it were, hallowed by the preliminary devotional services of the Monday evening, to give the morning sessions of the Tuesday and Wednesday to the full consideration of the proposed transfer of the Magazines-the commemoration of our poet and benefactor, Watts-the Education question-the British Missions-and such other appropriate business as may either be previously prepared or arise at the time-and to hold, on the evenings of those two days, the public meetings for Education and British Missions? Then, all the business of the Assembly being thus despatched, to secure Thursday entire for religious benefit-perhaps early in the morning session to celebrate the Lord's Supper, under the presidency of the Chairman, sustained by the pastors of the Southampton Churches, and by such ministers present as have filled the chair of the Union in former years? After the hallowing influence of this solemnity, to devote the remaining hours of the morning session to addresses, counsels, and prayers for the religious good of the Assembly, and, through it, of all the Churches interested or represented in the proceedings? Then the sermon might come in on this last evening of the Assembly; to close the proceedings, as they commenced, with services adapted to elevate the devout and spiritual principles of all present.

It may be most safely concluded that, to all the best ministers and members of our community, no proposal could at this time be more welcome than one directed to this great cause and object. Many mourn over decays already too obvious-many live in fear of the consequences of tendencies thought to be surely working ill to serious and vital religion-many are anxious to witness wise efforts to stay the evil, and restore the good. Nothing extravagant or austere is required-only what sound sense and practical wisdom will decidedly sanction. And of one thing we may be certain-namely, that neither our orthodoxy, nor our liberty, nor our scriptural polity, nor all these combined, will avail for our strength and growth, unless the religion of the heart vitalize and consecrate all for which we witness, and all who bear that testimony.

DURING the last half of the former century the eyes of spiritual men, throughout the whole earth, were continually fixed upon the British Colonies of North America, attracted thither by the wondrous and almost constant outpouring of the Spirit of God which distinguished that much-favoured land. The labours of Whitefield, who crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, in connection with the preaching of the Gospel, contributed much to this result, as did also the immortal writings of Jonathan Edwards, under whom the mightiest of those awakenings, which shook society, took place, and whose own "Narrative" of that marvellous work excited the universal attention of the Christian world.

It is the custom of carnal men, and too much even of the benighted and lukewarm portion of the Church of God, to identify all such movements with enthusiasm, imagination, feminine fancy, and ignorant credulity. As if Providence had intended to furnish a corrective to error, the greatest of mankind then alive, Jonathan Edwards, Author of the Treatise on the "Freedom of the Will," and many other works well known to the learned, was selected as a witness of the working of the finger of God, and employed to record the events which passed before his own eyes. At that time arose David Brainerd, of blessed memory—a wondrous specimen of the power of spiritual illumination, whose Life and Journal Jonathan Edwards gave to mankind, that in him, as an individual, they might see an illustration of the true and deep working of heavenly grace, and have, under his labours in the case of the Indians, one of the most marked exemplifications of spiritual renovation that even that age, fertile in such facts, could furnish. Our object, on the present occasion, is to bring our readers into contact with this extraordinary man. shall, therefore, now set before them

VOL. VII.

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some account of his conversion, as recorded by his own pen:

"Some time in February, 1738-9, I set apart a day for secret fasting and prayer, and spent the day in almost incessant cries to God for mercy, that he would open my eyes to see the evil of sin, and the way of life by Jesus Christ. And God was pleased that day to make considerable discoveries of my heart to me, and to make my endeavours a means to show me my helplessness in some measure. I constantly strove after whatever qualifications I imagined others obtained before the reception of Christ. Sometimes I felt the power of an hard heart, and supposed it must be softened before Christ would accept of me; and when I felt any meltings of heart, I hoped now the work was almost done: and hence, when my distress still remained, I was wont to murmur at God's dealings with me, and thought when others felt their hearts softened, God showed them mercy; but my distress remained still.

"Sometimes I grew remiss and sluggish, without any great convictions of sin, for a considerable time together; but after such a season convictions seized me more violently. One night in particular, when I was walking solitarily abroad, I had such a view of my sin, that I feared the ground would cleave asunder, and send my soul quick into hell. And though I was forced to go to bed, lest my distress should be discovered by others, which I much feared, yet I scarce durst sleep at all, for I thought it would be a great wonder if I should be out of hell in the morning. But though my distress was thus great, yet I dreaded the loss of convictions, and returning back to a state of security, and to my former insensibility of impending wrath, which made me exceeding exact in my behaviour, lest I should stifle the motions of God's Spirit.

"The many disappointinents and distresses I met with put me into a most horrible frame of contesting with the finding fault with his ways of dealing Almighty; with an inward vehemence, with mankind. I found great fault with the imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity; and my wicked heart often wished

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for some other way of salvation than by Jesus Christ. I wished sometimes there was no God, or that there were some other God that could control him. These thoughts were frequently acted before I was aware; but when I considered this, it distressed me, to think that my heart was so full of enmity against God; and it made me tremble lest God's vengeance should suddenly fall upon me. I used before to imagine my heart was not so bad as the Scriptures represented. Sometimes I used to take much pains to work it into an humble, submissive disposition ; but on a sudden, the thoughts of the strictness of the law, or the sovereignty of God, would so irritate the corruptions of my heart, that it would break over all bounds, and burst forth on all sides, like floods of waters when they break down their dam.

"While I was in this distressed state of mind, the corruption of my heart was especially irritated with these things following:

"1. The strictness of the Divine law; for I found it was impossible for me, after my utmost pains, to answer the demands of it. I often made resolutions, and as often broke them. I imputed the whole to want of being more watchful, and used to call myself a fool for my negligence. But when, upon a stronger resolution, and greater endeavours, fasting, and prayer, I found all attempts fail, then I quarrelled with the law of God, as unreasonably rigid. I thought if it extended only to my outward actions, I could bear with it; but I found it condemned me for the sins of my heart, which I could not possibly prevent. I was extremely loath to give out and own my utter helplessness, but after repeated disappointments, thought that, rather than perish, I could do a little more still, especially if such and such circumstances might but attend my endeavours. I hoped that I should strive more earnestly than ever; and this hope of future more favourable circumstances, and of doing something hereafter, kept me from utter despair of myself, and from seeing_myself fallen in the hand of God, and dependent on nothing but boundless grace.

"2. Another thing was, that faith alone was the condition of salvation, and that God would not come down to lower terms that he would not promise life and salvation upon my sincere prayers and endeavours. That word, Mark xvi. 16, He that believeth not shall be damned,' cut off all hope there; and I

found faith was the gift of God-that I could not get it of myself, and could not oblige God to bestow it upon me by any of my performances, Eph. ii. 1, 8. 'This,' I was ready to say, 'is a hard saying; who can bear it?" I could not bear that all I had done should stand for mere nothing, who had been very conscientious in duty, and had been exceeding religious a great while, and had (as I thought) done much more than many others that had obtained mercy. I confessed indeed the vileness of my duties; but then, what made them at that time seem vile, was my wandering thoughts in them; not because I was all over defiled, and the principle corrupt from whence they flowed, so that I could not possibly do anything that was good. And therefore I called what I did by the name of faithful endeavours; and could not bear it, that God had made no promises of salvation to them.

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"3. Another thing was, that I could not find out how to come to Christ. read the calls of Christ, made to the weary and heavy-laden; but could find no way that he directed them to come in. I thought I would gladly come, if I knew how; though the path of duty directed to was never so difficult. Mr. Stoddard's 'Guide to Christ' did not tell me anything I could do that would bring me to Christ, but left me, as it were, with a great gulph between me and Christ, without any direction to get through; for I was not yet experimentally taught that there could be no way prescribed whereby a natural man could, of his own strength, obtain that which is supernatural, and which the highest angel cannot give.

"All this time the Spirit of God was powerfully at work with me, and I was inwardly pressed to relinquish all selfconfidence, all hopes of ever helping myself by any means whatsoever; and the conviction of my lost estate was sometimes so clear, that it was as if it had been declared to me in so many words, 'It is done, it is for ever impossible to deliver yourself.' For about three or four days my soul was thus distressed, especially at some turns, when, for a few moments, I seemed to myself lost and undone, but then would shrink back immediately from the sight, because I dared not venture myself into the hands of God, as wholly helpless. I dared not see that important truth, that I was 'dead in trespasses and sins.' But when I had thrust away these views of myself at any time, I was distressed to have the

same discoveries again; for I greatly feared being given over of God to final stupidity. When I thought of putting it off to a more convenient season,' the conviction was so powerful with regard to the present time, that it was the best time, and probably the only time, that I dared not to put it off. Yet my soul shrunk away from it: I could see no safety in throwing myself into the hands of God, and that I could lay no claim to anything better than damnation.

"But after a considerable time spent in such distresses, one morning, while I was walking in a solitary place, as usual, I at once saw that all my contrivances to procure salvation for myself were utterly in vain I was brought quite to a stand, as finding myself totally lost. I had thought many times that the difficulties were very great; but now I saw, in very different light, that it was for ever impossible for me to do anything towards delivering myself. I then thought of blaming myself that I had not done more while I had an opportunity, for it seemed now as if the season of doing was for ever over and gone; but I instantly saw that, let me have done what I would, it would no more have tended to my helping myself than what I had done; that I had made all the pleas I ever could have made to all eternity; and that all my pleas were vain. The tumult that had been before in my mind was now quieted, and I was something eased of that distress which I felt while struggling against a sight of my self. I had the greatest certainty that my state was for ever miserable, for all that I could do, and was almost astonished that I had never been sensible of it before.

"In the time while I remained in this state my notions respecting my duties were quite different from what I had entertained in times past. Now I saw there was no necessary connection between my prayers and the Divine mercy; that they laid not the least obligation upon God to bestow his grace upon me; and that there was no more goodness in them than there would be in my paddling in the water (which was the comparison I had then in my mind); and this because they were not performed from any love to God. I saw that I had heaped up my devotions before God, fasting, praying, &c., really thinking I was aiming at the glory of God; whereas I never once truly intended it.

"I continued in this state of mind from Friday morning till the Sabbath

evening following, July 12, 1739, when I was walking again in the same solitary place, and attempting to pray, but found no heart to engage in that or any other duty. Having been thus endeavouring to pray for near half an hour (and by this time the sun was about half an hour high), as I was walking in a dark thick grove, unspeakable glory seemed to open to the view of my soul: I do not mean any external brightness, nor any imagination of a body of light, or anything of that nature; but it was a new inward apprehension or view that I had of God, such as I never had before. I stood still and admired. I knew that I had never seen before anything comparable to it for excellency and beauty; it was widely different from all the conceptions that ever I had of God or things divine. I had no particular apprehension of any one person in the Trinity, either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Ghost; but it appeared to be Divine glory that I then beheld. And my soul rejoiced with 'joy unspeakable,' to see such a glorious Divine Being; and I was inwardly pleased and satisfied that he should be God over all' for ever and ever. My soul was so captivated and delighted with the excellency, loveliness, greatness, and other perfections of God, that I was even swallowed up in him, to that degree that at first I scarce reflected there was such a creature as myself.

"Thus God, I trust, brought me to a hearty disposition to exalt him, and set him upon the throne, and ultimately to aim at his honour and glory, as King of the universe.

"I continued in this state until near dark, without any sensible abatement, and then began to think what I had seen, and was sweetly composed all the evening following. I felt myself in a new world, and everything about me appeared with a different aspect from what it was wont to do.

"At this time the way of salvation opened to me with such infinite wisdom, suitableness, and excellency, that I wondered I should ever think of any other way of salvation; was amazed that I had not dropped my own contrivances, and complied with this blessed and excellent way before. If I could have been saved by my own duties, or any other way that I had formerly contrived, my whole soul would now have refused. I wondered that the whole world did not see and comply with this way of salvation, entirely by the merits of Christ.