showered upon us. As children love their parents according to the flesh, not in order that they may gain any thing from them, but rather to express their thankfulness for the love and care with which they have nourished them from their birth :-and further, in regard to their inheritance, they must be convinced, that as it was no defect in the love of their parents to give them life, neither can it argue a deficiancy of love to bestow also the means of prolonging life; so in the spiritual birth, we must love God; yield ourselves to his holy will, and do works of righteousness-not to merit the Christian inheritance, the kingdom of God, but rather to express our gratitude to him for the grace which has redeemed us. We must be persuaded that the kingdom of God is not the wages of an hireling, but the gift of God: a generous, gratuitous grant flowing from the love of God, of grace,' for the sake of Christ. But our love, and other good works, are a debt, and not deserving of any recompense- We have done that which was our duty to do' (Luke xvii. 10.) saith Christ. Do not think that you have performed much, and are worthy of a reward for your service; by no means, but when ye have done all, say, We are unprofitable and useless servants.

"Behold then, Christians! what faith is, and what our works are. "See that our salvation is in Christ alone, depending upon his merit, and obtained on our part only by faith, which likewise is the gift of God. See too that faith must, without fail, bring along with it good works, and thus prove its existence: and as an appropriate test of our gratitude to God for our redemption, let us believe in our Lord Jesus Christ with a true and sincere heart; believe that he is our life and our salvation; believe that we are saved by his grace alone through faith; then we shall do good, love Him with all our soul, make all our desires bow to his will, and according to his commandment, love our neighbour as ourselves; yield ourselves servants to him in all obedience, to testify to him that we are his grateful children, mindful of his great goodness manifested in our creation, but more especially in redeeming us through the Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ." (Desnitzski, p. 37-41.)

The whole of the discourses on the characters for whom › Christ prays (John xvii. 9.) is truly excellent: but we can find room only for one extract more. Having stated at length who are the persons intended, he thus sums up his argument, and shows for whom Christ does not pray, and consequently who are excluded from salvation.

"Jesus Christ prays and intercedes for every one, who, having heard the divine word proceeding from the Father, penetrates its meaning, and confesses it. To him the sacrifice of Christ is saving-reconcili:ation is obtained-redemption is effected. He believes that it is true, and proceeds from God; receives it into himself, observes it, fulfils it; confesses Jesus Christ to be the ambassador of God, the sent of God the Father; co-operates with his Holy Spirit; believes in the trishypostatical God; believes so that he leaves the world, renounces his

own will, and cleaves to Christ; reckons himself to be of him, and not of the world-to be of him alone, and not of the flesh-to be of him alone, and not of the devil. Christ sanctified himself, offered himself in sacrifice, died for every one who sacrifices himself to him, who serves him in body and spirit, sanctifies himself in soul and heart, who dies to the world, and abides in him. Jesus Christ gives life, eternal life to every one who, like the branches in the vine, abides in him, who finds in him the heavenly manna, is nourished by his spiritual food, and produces fruit, is regulated by his doctrine, and goes on towards perfection.

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"For every one Christ prays, who with a true and sincere heart has recourse to him by faith, and asks in prayer. Every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.' For all those who thus believe the Mediator between God and man, the God-man Jesus Christ prays- I pray for them,' saith he, and not for them only, but for all who shall believe on me through their word.' But I pray not for all the world'—but who are to be understood by the term the world, and who are excluded from the prayer of Christ? Under the name the world, not only are those to be understood who do not know Christ at all, and do not believe in him, as for instance heathens; not only those are meant who might by the works and miracles of Christ know him and believe in him; but who like the Jews, through obstinacy would not acknowledge him. Not only, I say, are such included under the denomination of the world, but also all those who, knowing the word of God from Jesus Christ, and having professed the faith, do not produce fruit from that divine seed, and increase it; but it is choked and defiled in them by the world, and they rest in the mere name of Christianity. All these are to be understood as the world, who are in strict alliance with the world, are firmly attached to it, whose hearts are chained down to earthly things, whose thoughts are earthly, sensual, devilish-not heavenly, spiritual, divine.

"Hence we may conclude that every one is excluded from the prayer of the Lord, and is condemned with the world, who is the friend of the world, and in fellowship with it, and is not one with Christ. Every one loses, with the unbelieving heathen, eternal life, and is destined to eternal death, who leads the life of a heathen, who indulges in luxuries and drunkenness, and lust and avarice; lives as if he thad never known Christ, nor heard his holy doctrine. Every one falls short of salvation through the Saviour, has no participation in the sacrifice of his death, or his supper in the heavenly kingdom, who, with the obstinate Jews, if not in words yet in deed, puts Christ to death; in words like Judas, embraces him, but in deed abandons himself to the world, the flesh, and the devil; and for a little gain, a very small satisfaction, betrays him to those who crucify and murder him. Every one is excluded from reconciliation with the Father who is not at peace with himself and with his neighbour; in whom tumultuous passions and vices live, who endeavours not and intends not to overcome his lust and desires, and in whom dwell anger, envy, enmity, malevolence towards others like himself, and who cannot find peace from the

Being who is above him. Every one who flies from the holiness of Jesus is estranged from him, and seeks not repentance nor communion with Christ, nor strength from him for his direction, and thinks not of amendment. No one can come into fellowship with God who is here alienated from him, joined to the world and the flesh, and abides not in Christ his temple, his inner man, but defiles it by the lusts of the flesh, pride, the world, and the devil, and does not prepare it for a habitation of God, even to the end of his life. No one can hope in the mediation of Christ who does not pray that he may intercede for him; and if he asks, yet not as he ought to ask, but merely in words, and not with the heart. He honours him with the words of his mouth, but his heart is far from him. He prays, but only with external ceremony, not with inward humility of soul-he prays in outward form, not in inward power. And as the Lord sees the inner mind, hears the sighing of the heart, accepts the spiritual prayer-those who with their lips only call him, Lord! Lord! shall not be saved, according to his own declaration. He who asks not from the bottom of his heart, but with a wavering unsettled mind, and who is a christian only by profession, is excluded from the prayer and intercession of Christ. Behold then of whom it is that he says, I pray not for all the world." He does not pray for those who do not seek his prayers, he excludes from a participation of his sanctification' those who do not endeavour to obtain sanctification. They fall short of life who willingly forsake Life, that is, himself; and go to the lost world, and love it-he removes them from redemption, who with their own wills remove from him. Summoned to the judgment of God, he calls and they do not hear his voice; he draws them, but they do not go; he knocks, and they do not open. It is just that such should be excluded from the flock-cast off from mediation-lose redemption. It is just that our Saviour should thus address his Father: Righteous Father! I pray for these, I pray not for the world."" (Desnitzski, pp. 48, 49. 51-54.)

The coincidence between the preceding paragraphs and the best divines of our national church, cannot fail to attract the attention of all who are conversant with the latter. The lovers of pure and unsophisticated religious truth, will be gratified to learn (on the authority of the translator), that the venerable metropolitan, Desnitzski "still continues to deliver his weekly instructions in the monastery of St. Alexander Nevski, and for the most part unwritten, after having performed the service. The simple illustration of divine truth, in the language understood by all, attracts a great multitude, not only of the common people, but likewise persons of the highest rank, who also reckon it a happiness to have these opportunities of profiting by the pious and touching addresses which fall from the lips of their beloved pastor."

The Russian clergy are completely exempted from all civil taxes, and also from corporal punishments, even in the case of committing capital crimes. By an imperial decree issued in

1801, they are permitted to hold lands; but the greater part of their support is derived from the free-will offerings of their parishioners, and their revenues are comparatively small. The Russian empire is divided into thirty-six eparchies or dioceses; the extent of which is nearly the same as that of the provinces or governments. In these, there are 483 cathedrals and 26,598 churches, many of which are magnificent edifices. The service of the Orthodox Church' is comprised in more than twenty folio volumes, all in the Slavonic or ancient languge of the country, which is not well understood by the greater part of the modern Russians. Twelve of these volumes, one for every month, contain the particular services and hymns for the festivals of the saints, who are so numerous in the Greek calendar, that their number far exceeds that of days in the year. The chief part of the service consists of psalms and hymns, which, instead of being sung, are now mostly read, and in a very rapid,-not to say unintelligible manner. The gospel, however, is always read slowly, and in a distinct and audible voice. Since the reigns of Peter the Great, and of Catherine II., both of whom introduced numerous salutary regulations and restrictions into the monasteries and nunneries of Russia, these are less peopled than formerly, though the monastic order (which adheres to the rule of St. Basil) cannot be altogether abolished without an essential change in the constitution of the church; for the higher ranks of the clergy can only be chosen from the monks. The nunneries, which continue to subsist, are properly asylums for aged or unfortunate females, who there spend the remainder of their days in retirement, most of them being usefully employed.

M. Stourdza devotes an entire chapter to the subject of toler ation, on which he has many sensible and just observations. Toleration, he contends, is the great and distinguishing feature of the Russian church: and his assertions are corroborated by Dr. Pinkerton, who states that all ranks of Russians are in general free from that persecuting rancour against other religious persuasions, which has been so characteristic of the Roman Catholics. Though the Russians adhere strictly to the doctrines and ceremonies of their own church, yet not only the laity, but also the clergy are far from thinking that there is no salvation without her pale.

In concluding our account of M. Stourdza's volume, we cannot but take notice of the flights of oriental imagination, which are frequently to be found in it. These, perhaps, may be pardoned in a layman and a counsellor of state, from whom it would be absurd to look for that order and regularity which we naturally expect to see in the composition of a divine: but, while we recognize in his pages much truly Christian feeling, we also regret to

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find him too often treating of Christianity as a system, a theory, a speculative doctrine, rather than as a vivifying principle, the life of the living, and the preparative of eternity. This writer ventures to predict high destinies for the national church of his country. "She has,' he says, 'been persecuted: she has passed through fire and water; she has resisted the assaults of Islamism, and has converted the north. She has, indeed, been deprived of her splendid vestments; but nothing can wrest from her that depositum of faith and of tradition, which she has preserved, unadulterated and uninjured. Though the Orthodox Church' is now undergoing a Babylonish captivity, yet she shall rebuild the temple and that stone which human builders have pretended toreject, shall become the corner-stone of the sacred edifice.'

The introduction of Bible Societies (now amounting to more than two hundred), and of schools of national instruction, into the vast dominions of Russia, together with the wise and liberal measures which are now in progress for promoting the moral and civil improvement of its immense population,-lead us to hope, that M. Stourdza's expectations may be realized. Sincerely do we wish that Russia may unite all her efforts with those of the Protestant churches in carrying Christianity, with its attendant blessings, into remote countries: for she has nothing to fear from the church of Rome, so long as the latter pursues her present narrow policy, recoiling with affright from the pure word of God, and prostrating herself before the fallible word of man.

ART. VI.-MRS. HANNAH MORE'S BIBLE RHYMES. Bible Rhymes, on the Names of all the Books of the Old and New Testament, with Allusions to some of the principal Incidents and Characters. By Hannah More. 12mo. pp. 94. Cadell. London, 1821.

Ir any one were to ask us to give them a general description of Mrs. More's spirit and manner in conversation with her friends, we do not know that we could convey the idea more effectually, than by referring them to this little book of familiar rhymes. The enquirer would there find a graceful, flowing, unstudied exhibition of the most important truths which can interest a mind anxious about its immortal concerns; the pastime, if we may so express ourselves, of an intellect great, and a spirit lofty in the smallest undertakings; and through the gaiety of whose unpretending couplets, a vein of pious composure, of affectionate sensibility, and tempered zeal, is characteristically apparent.