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.
* * * * *
_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.
* * * * *
_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.
* * * * *
_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."
* * * * *
_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.
_The Works of William Cowper, his Life and Letters, by William Hayley,
Esq., now first completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private
Correspondence; Edited by the Rev. T. S. Grimshawe, A.M., Rector of
Burton, Northamptonshire, and Vicar of Biddenham, Bedfordshire; Author
of the Life of the Rev. Legh Richmond. Saunders and Otley._--We have
received the early volumes of this admirable publication. The manner in
which it is brought out is highly creditable to all the parties
concerned in the undertaking; and we have no doubt of its being in very
extensive demand by readers of almost every description. It is our
purpose to watch its progress, and, at the close, to present our readers
with a more enlarged account of its peculiar claims to their attention.
_The Posthumous Letters of the Rev. Rabshakeh Gathercoal, late Vicar of
Tuddington; now first published, with Explanatory Notes, and dedicated
to the Lord Bishop of London. p. 288. Westley._--There are many passages
in these letters which, in the keenness of their satire, and the
pungency of their wit, cannot be exceeded by any thing in the writings
of Butler, South, or Swift; with this further commendation, that their
edge and point are directed exclusively against error and arrogance. On
the subject of dissent we have seen no recent publication which can be
compared with this in clearness, copiousness, and power; combining so
many important facts of history with so much of interesting and
practical influence. In the presence of such a writer the advocates of
superstition and intolerance must quail; but the admirers of the
uncorrupted Christianity of the New Testament, of every denomination,
will hail him, in this labour of his hands, as the intrepid friend of
freedom and religion.