doubt, made him so much acquainted with the composition of a sermon, as to enable him, at the age I have mentioned, to write a discourse, which, if enlarged, would not have been unsuitable to the pulpit.

The subsequent account will be chiefly collected from his private papers, his letters, and conversations with his most intimate friends during his last illness.

When he was seventeen years of age, he wrote the following short history of the preceding part of his life, to which he prefixed, as a motto, these texts of Scripture.

Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

"I was born March 8.-I remember nothing till I was near six years old, except a few trifling circumstances. When I was about six years old, I was sent to Mr. B's school, at L, where I remained till I was nine years old. I was there very guilty of telling lies, and chiefly such as would raise wonder and astonishment. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake, O Lord.

When I was nine years of age, I went to the school of the Rev. Mr. There I spent much pleasant time. Mr. towards the first was a little severe; but my disposition wanted severity, and I have reason to be thankful that he was so, for he has done me more good than I can express, and more perhaps than I am conscious of.

"I had, at several different times, religious convictions while I was there. Being ill of a fever, when I was about ten years old, I was taken home; and formed there many resolutions of living a good life if I should recover. Nay, I then began, as I thought, to be good, whether I should live or die. But such kind of resolutions have always the same end; I forgot them all when I had recovered my health. Sometimes afterwards, I had again convictions of heart that I was not going on right. The right way, however, I knew not, though I might perhaps have the theory of religion. [Vide Sermon written when I was eleven years of age.] But from Mr. R

and the Rev. Mr. P's preaching, my conscience would not let me go on carelessly. I took up a scheme of self-righteousness. But when I began really to see Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, then Satan, and my own wicked desires, were permitted to tempt me sorely. This happened when I was fourteen years of age. O how often have I been solicited to act in opposition to the dictates of my conscience! But, O my soul, is there not enough, besides that time, enough to make thee sink to the ground in despair, but for my blessed, ever blessed Redeemer? Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. Those temptations were to shew me my wickedness, and my weakness, and to engage me to apply to Christ for pardon and strength. But my repentances (so innumerable are they) have need to be repented of.

By the grace of God in Christ, and by that alone, those temptations have begun to weaken. A sense of my immoderate pride is, I feel, to take place, in order to my humiliation before a holy God. I have not yet done with the former temptations. Remember unto thy servant, O Lord, the word on which thou hast caused him to hope.

"When I was fifteen years old, I left Mr. R, and came to HO how bountifully has God dealt with me! O how infinitely more than I deserve! Every situation and change in life is better than the former. I hope I shall never be guilty of forgetting Mr. Rand Mr. P, they have been of such use to the affairs of my soul. This I know, that I ought not to forget them.

But when I had got some footing in classical learning, as well as in that best of knowledge, how gracious was God in sending me to this place, than which I cannot conceive a better, one more fit for a scholar's proficiency in learning, and for a Christian's growth in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ: I have the best of masters in both things*.

"Whilst I feel the pride of my heart, and find also that my mind is too worldly, may I improve the grace which God hath provided, and make a proper use of all his dispensations.

The late Rev. Joseph Milner, author -'s most excellent conversation, of the History of the Church of Christ, &c.

twenty children of the late Edward Lisle, Esq, of Crux-Easton, Hants.

December 10. In her 91st year, LADY WHEATE, Relict of the late Sir G. Wheate, Bart, of Lechdale, Gloucestershire.

December 19. At Mount Panther, in the County of Down, the Right Hon. FRANCIS CHARLES ANNESLEY, Earl Annesley, VisCount Glerawly, and Baron Annesley.

December 20. In Argyle Street, VrsCOUNTESS BATEMAN, in the 77th year of her age.

January 2. The Rev. JOSEPH Garnett,· B. A. Vicar of Kenton, in Suffolk.

January 4. At Raphoe, in Ireland, Mrs. HAWKINS, Lady of the Lord Bishop of Raphoe.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

N. D. on the 50th Psalm; S. L.'s Fragments of a Voyage; E. X.; T. D.'s Lines; AL BANUS; CANDIDUS; A COUNTRY ATTORNEY (whose paper came too late for this month); N. G. on Fasting; JUVENIS on the Monthly Review; O. U. I.'s Anecdotes; CHIRURGUS on Sunday Conversations; LAICUS on Sunday Concerts; VIATOR; INDAGATOR VERITATIS; C. C. L.; and A. A. will appear as soon as we can find a a place

for them.

Besides these, we have received the following communications, which are still under con-
sideration, viz. C. S.; B. V.; G.; A CONSTANT READER; W. C. N.; R. C. C.; R.
B.; C. O. T.; J. W. M.; An INQUIRER; BESEQUAMEN; MELANCTHON; and BE-
NEVOLUS, whose favour ought to have been sooner acknowledged.
TWELFTH DAY came so late that it must stand over.

We will venture to assure J. V. that S. T. had no intention of injuring, in the public estimation, either of the classes of men whose cause he undertakes.

The moderation of THOMAS EISDELL'S letter leads us to hope, that he will excuse our not inserting it, as it would only lead to a tedious verbal dispute. If the person he defends had really been of different sentiments from those which we have been led to attribute to him, he might easily have removed the imputation by an unambiguous disavow al.

E.'s supplemental Inder came too late to be of use.

We are obliged to O. for his candid notice of our remarks, and we mean to give him, in no long time, explanations, which we trust will prove satisfactory.

A Correspondent, whose signature is omitted, but whose hand-writing we recognize, Las brought against us several heavy charges, which we are disposed to think, would, if examined, appear to every reasonable and candid man to be wholly destitute of any just foundation. He accuses us of indifference to the cause of the Established Church, merely because we scruple to make our work the vehicle of harsh and indiscriminate charges against Dissenters. He is greatly mistaken if he supposes, that it is the desire of obLining the favour, or the dread of incurring the displeasure of any set of men, which influences us in exercising caution on this point. By no means; it is the fear of vidating the spirit of a very sacred injunction, which runs in these words, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour," that restrains us, That we have ever suppressed any arguments in favour of the Established Church which have been transmitted to us, we formally deny: we have given a proof of our desire that she should lose none of the support to be derived from voluntary contributions to our work, by our regular insertion of his own papers. It is true, that we have occasionally softened or omitted the severity of sweeping and undistinguishing censure; but our Correspondent will find it as difficult to prove, that in so doing we have of sense made nonsense, as that we have departed from our avowed principles. What is the language of our Prospectus? "The Conductors are determined to admit nothing harsh nor intemperate towards any sect of Christians." Equally difficult will it be for him to prove, that by our qualifications and omissions, we have injured the cause which we professed to uphold. We have long been convinced, that the interests of the Estabished Church, if maintained at all, are to be maintained by far other means than car Correspondent seems to think so essential. They are to be maintained, not by vehement accusations and intemperate language, but by a fair exposition and a judicious defence of her doctrines, worship, and discipline; by a temperate exposure of the unfounded objections of her enemies; and, above all, by infusing into her minisers, as well as into her members in general, such a large portion of genuine piety as man put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and lead them to unite with the Church in glorifying God. As to our Correspondent's emphatic censure of a passage, extracted by us from Jay's Sermons (vol. 1. p. 650) and which he affirms was intended as an apology for the democratic scheming of Dissenters, we can only admire the ingenuity of prejudice. We do not pretend to scrutinize the motive

which dictated the passage, but we are sure that it is at least as good an apology for the monarchical principles of the Christian Observer, as for the jacobinical leanings of Dissenters. "In many cases," says this Correspondent, "where your work gives encouragement, the Apostle would have said, mark them who cause divisions, and avoid them." We hesitate not to affirm, that this is an unsupported assertion. He is also mistaken in supposing, because our principles lead us to forbear from au indiscriminate censure of those who differ from us, that they will, therefore, "embrace with equal zeal and approbation a Churchman, or a Methodist, a Baptist, an Independent, a Presbyterian, or a direct Schismatic of any denomination." Such an opinion of our work, we cannot help thinking, argues either an excess of bigotry, or a defect of apprehension. We perceive as strongly the sin and the evil of Schism, as our Correspondent can. We see also in their full force, the errors of Methodism and of Antipædobaptism, as well as those which lead to the unwarranted rejection of Episcopacy; and in that department of our work which is properly our own, we incan the Review of new Publications, we have lost no fair opportunity of exposing them: but we deal not in railing accusations. If he, or any other of our Correspondents, should send us Essays, tending to refute these errors, and meriting from their execution to see the light, we shall be greatly obliged to them. If the papers should be suppressed, it will not be on account either of the acuteness of the reasoning, or the solidity of the arguments contained in them. He is mistaken also in supposing the candour of the Christian Observer to be “ affected.” We trust we are no hypocrites. And as to its being inconsistent, let him compare the language of our Prospectus, already quoted, with the tenor of our work, as well as with our present professions, and he will find, that if his hope has failed, it has failed because it was unfounded. As to the paper of Viator, which has given him so much offence, why has it not been answered? We can assure our Correspondent that we feel no sort of repugnance to having its merits discussed. We have received from a Correspondent, whose signature we suppress, a pathetic expostulation on the non-appearance of a Poem, transmitted to us in October, and an urgent intreaty that we would speedily gratify him with a sight of it. Many similar expostulations have reached us from time to time, although we have not thought it requisite to reply specifically to each of them. At length, however, it appears to be necessary to our own quiet, to take some notice of them, and we trust, that what we say will prove a satisfactory answer to all concerned. If any one will take the trouble of comparing the multitude of communications, which, even according to our monthly notices, have been received by us; with the space (viz. 24 pages) which the plan of our work allows for their insertion, he must acknowledge it to have been impossible for us to have given publicity to more than a small part of them. Many pieces, it is true, have reached us, to the writers of which we very willingly yield the praise both of zeal and of good intentions, but which, from various circumstances, too obvious to be particularized, we have been obliged to lay aside as unsuitable to our work. But there is a very considerable number of pieces of another description, the insertion of which, we are persuaded, would be useful; but for which we have been hitherto unable to find a place. What is to be done in this case? Must we change the plan of our work, and leave out some of its parts, in order to encrease our means of gratifying the solicitude of authorship? If not, by what rule shall we proceed, in order to satisfy so many claimants? With respect to such of our Correspondents, (we trust their number is small) as are more studious of their own gratification, than of the credit of our work, it is evident that we cannot please one without displeasing others. But such ought to recollect that we have obligations to fulfil towards our readers, as well as towards contributors; and that it is our duty to select for publication, those pieces which appear to us the best calculated to promote the great ends of our publication. In determining the pieces to be inserted, age, it will be allowed, is not a legitimate criterion. It certainly is not our standard. We endeavour to lay before our readers the best papers upon cach of the different subjects, which we have proposed to embrace, with the exception only of such inquiries, and answers to inquiries, and of such other communications, as would lose their utility and their interest by delay. In following this plan, we mean not to affirm that we have not frequently erred in judgment, but we can safely say that we have acted impartially, and to the best of our judgment. Indeed, if our judgment had been more correct, we doubt whether the displeasure which has been excited, would have been less extensive. For as we find, in general, that impatience exists in something of a ratio to the inferiority of talent, we may reasonably presume that, in every case where a weak or vapid paper has been admitted, we have escaped, if not a serious remonstrance, at least some secret heart burnings. We request those who may feel themselves concerned in this reply, to reflect well upon the following text, Phil. ii. 3, 4, Some part of what we have here said, will apply to the Review of Books. T. and Q. S. are just come to hand.