MEMOIR OF MR. T. PASCO. 487 "It is very precious," he said; "sing more. "sing more."-He attempted to join in the singing; but the voice could no longer express the melody of the heart. He smiled and said, “I would, but cannot sing;-but go on; I will join ia heart." He then repeated, with delightful emphasis, the verse, "My feet shall travel all the length "Of the celestial road, "And march with courage in thy strength, Mr. P. took a most solemn and affectionate leave of Mrs. P. and the family this evening, commending them, in most affectionate language, to "his Father and their Father, to his God and their God." vere. Soon after this affecting scene had closed, that change which is the usual precursor of death, was visible in his countenance. The struggles of nature continued about twelve hours; and, though his constitution was firm, they were not unusually seDuring the last four hours they were greatly mitigated.Mr. P. spoke occasionally, gave frequent signs that his felicity continued, and appeared to be indulged both with intellect and consolation, till he willingly breathed forth his spirit, and fell asleep in Jesus. He expired about noon, on Monday, September 1, 1806, having just entered on his 54th year." On the Friday following, the corpse was interred in the familyvault in the Baptist burying-ground at Abingdon; and the succeeding Sabbath a funeral discourse was delivered at Oxford, to a most crouded and attentive audience, from 1 Thes. iv. 13, 14. Few, it is apprehended, will peruse this account without rejoicing that the tomb of Mr. Pasco may justly bear the inscription, which every one should earnestly wish for his own: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." Oxford. ADELPHOS. BIBLICAL CRITICISM. And bathe his flesh in running water. Lev. xv. 13. THE difference between bathing in ordinary and in running water, is here strongly marked by a positive command in favour of the latter. This circumstance was not peculiar to the Jewish ritual; but it is to be met with in the Mahometan law, and in the Indian religion. In the Indies it is a most meritorious act to pray to God in the running stream. Bernier's Travels, Vol. 2. And when Gideon was come. Judges vii. 13. GIDEON, raised up by God himself, and made general of the army of Israel, yet goes as a spy into the camp of Midian. To this conduct there was not formerly any reproach attached, as it was esteemed honourable to go on such expeditions by night, or to perform those offices which are now the task of the common soldiers only. Homer (Il. 10) represents Tydides as thus answering a command to penetrate the Trojan camp: The man you seek is here; St. Alban's. S. B. THE PEACEFUL DEATH OF A PEASANT. (Translated from the German.) In a certain village lived a peasant, quiet, unaffected, and unnoticed. Poor himself, he had married a poor girl; they brought nothing together but affectionate hearts and industrious hands. However, by unwearied labour, they acquired a comfortable livelihood, and brought up their children in good habits, like their own. At length his strength failed, though he was little more than fifty; and often he said he should not live long. One morning, when he was as well as usual, he thus addressed his family: "I shall soon finish my course in nine days I shall be in Heaven. How was I obliged last night to force my way through hosts! but at last I got safe. I heard the angels sing, and joined them. O it sounded gloriously! They said to me, "In nine days you will be with us *." On the evening of that very day, he was seized with his last illness. On the ninth day he saw the sun arise, thanked God for having brought him so far through life; and spent the day in prayer, and in conversation with his wife and children. In the evening, when the sun went down, he was sitting at the window, and said to his wife, "When the sun is quite down, I will lay myself down also." He did so; praying for himself and his family. They stood around his bed: he asked for a glass of water; drank it; gave to each his hand, and his blessing. He then exclaimed, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." With these words he resigned his spirit. - His excellent wife survived him many years (I knew her personally, says our correspondent); and his children prosper. *Though we are far from wishing to countenance unaccountable impulses on the mind, or impressions that seem predictive of future events; and are of opinion that the greater part of thein are deceptive,—yet, as it is possible that God may, for wise purposes, afford to some persons a presentiment of their death, by a dream or otherwise, and as the above case was communicated by a very credible and respectable minister of the gospel, we think ourselves justified in its insertion. ON THE ABUSE OF ALLEGORY IN PREACHING. AFTER what several able pens have produced of late years upon this practice, particularly the late Dr. Stennett, on the Parable of the Sower, it might have been expected that, if it had not subsided, it would at least have been considerably diminished. But the misfortune is, those who are most addicted to this way of preaching, seem in general to have very little inclination to read. Whether they deem it unlawful, as involving them in the sin charged upon the prophets, of stealing every one from his neighbour; or, whether they be so enamoured of their own thoughts as to set all others at defiance, I cannot decide; but certain it is, that many preach as if they had never read or thought upon the subject. A very little observation will convince us that the preachers with whom this practice mostly prevails, are of the lower sort with respect to seriousness and good sense, however high they may affect to soar in their notions. Of such characters I have but little hope. But as some godly men are, I believe, too much infected with this disease, if the Editor will indulge me with two or three pages in the Magazine, I will expostulate with one of them on the causes and consequences of his conduct. Let me intreat you then, my friend, to consider, in the first place, Whether, when you turn plain historical facts into allegory, you treat the word of God with becoming reverence? Can you seriously think the Scriptures to be a book of riddles. and conundrums? and that a Christian minister is properly employed in giving scope to his fancy, in order to discover their solution? I have been asked the meaning of certain passages of Scripture; and when I have answered, according to what appeared to be the scope of the sacred writer, it has been said, "Yes, that may be the literal meaning; but what is the spiritual meaning of it?"-as though every part of Scripture had a spiritual, that is, a hidden or allegorical meaning, besides its obvious one. That some parts of Scripture are allegorical, -that some prophecies have a double reference, and that the principle suggested by many a passage may be applied to other things besides what is immediately intended, there is no doubt: but this is very different from the practice to which I allude. All Scripture is profitable in some way: some for doctrine, some for reproof, some for correction, and some for instruction in righteousness; but all is not to be turned into allegory. If we must play, let it be with things of less consequence than the word of the eternal God! Consider, secondly, Whether the motive that stimulates you to such a manner of treating the sacred oracles, be any other than vanity? If you preached to a people possessed of any thing like good sense, they would consider it as perverting the 3R XIV. word of God, and whipping it into froth. Instead of applaud ing you, they would be unable to endure it. But if your people be ignorant, such things would please them; and they may gaze, and admire, and smile, and say one to another, it may be in your hearing too, "Well, what a man! Who would have thought that he would have found so much gospel in that text!" Ah, very true: who indeed? But what would the apostle Paul say? Are ye not carnal?" Is it for a man of God to "court a grin when he should woo a soul?" For shame! desist from such folly, or lay aside the Christian ministry! You are com manded to "Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" but it is not every thing that pleases a people that feeds them in the sense of the Apostle. He did not mean to direct the Ephesian elders to feed mens' fancies, and still less their prejudices; but their spiritual desires, and which is accomplished only by administering to them the words of truth and soberness. If your preaching be such as God approves, an if you study to shew yourself approved of him, it will lead the people to admire your Saviour rather than you, and render him the topic of their conversation. 7 Consider, thirdly, Whether both you and your people be not in danger, of mistaking this spiritualizing passion for spirituality of mind, and a being led into "the deep things of God?" There are few objects at a greater distance than the effervescence of a rain imagination, and that holy and humble spirit by which spiritual things are discerned; yet the one is often mistaken for The other. The preacher dreams of deep discoveries; and the people wonder to hear them; but what saith the Scriptures? The prophet that hath only a dream must tell his dream; but he that hath God's word, let him speak it faithfully; for what is the chaff to the wheat ?" -- Finally, Consider the consequences which must follow from this practice. If an unbeliever come into your assembly, and find you arraying Christianity in this fancy-dress, is it likely he should be convinced of all, and the secrets of his heart being made manifest, fall down and worship God, and report That God is amongst you, and that of a truth? If he hear you treat of the historical parts of Scripture, as meaning something very different from what they appear to mean, will he not say you are mad, and be furnished with a handle for representing religion itself as void of truth and good sense? Or if he hear you interpret the miracles which Christ wrought in proof of his Messiahship, of that change which is now wrought in the binds of sinners by the Spirit of God, will he not say, that you yourselves appear to consider the whole as a string of fables, and e employed in finding out the morals of them ? -- But perhaps you are seldom attended by men of this de scrip' on. Be it so; what think you must be the effect of such preaching on professing Christians, nominal or real? The ON THE ABUSE OF ALLEGORY IN PREACHING. 491 former will either fall asleep under it, as something which does not concern them; or, if they attend to you, and understand your interpretations, they will think they are quite in the secret, and set themselves down for deep Christians; when, in truth, they know nothing yet as they ought to know. And as to real Christians, their souls will either pine under your ministry, or, by contracting a false taste, will thirst after the froth of human fancy, to the neglect of the sincere milk of the word; and instead of growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, will make no progress in either. It is an easy thing for a man of a luxuriant imagination, unincumbered by judgment, to make any thing he pleases of the Scriptures, as well as any other book; but in so doing he must destroy their simplicity, and, of course, their efficacy; which, in fact, is reducing them to nothing. If they be not applied to their appropriate uses, they are perverted; and a perverted good proves the greatest of evils. Thus it is that characters abound who are full of Scripture language, while yet they are awfully destitute of Scripture knowledge, or scriptural religion. GAIUS. OBSERVATIONS ON PSALM CXIX. 67. IN REPLY TO A QUERY IN OUR NUMBER FOR JUNE. Before I was afflicted I went asiray ; but now have I kept thy word. THE mind of man is apt to wander in pursuit of improper objects. When the mind is enticed and misled, the character is likely to be affected and injured by the proposed objects of sensible good. A child of God knows this by personal and paintul experience. His heart turns aside after vanity; and his feet go astray into forbidden paths. Inattention to the word of God is the cause of this. If his heart were sound in the divine statutes, his conduct would be free from reproach and censure. But the great Shepherd of Souls views the distant wanderer with compassion, and sends his messenger Affliction to bring him back to his fold. Chastisements are highly salutary to restore health to his soul, and to lead our feet into the paths of righteousness. It may be worth while, briefly, to notice those pursaits which often lead the Christian astray; and of which it is the design of affliction, in some good degree, to care. There are, I appre hend, four causes of departure from God, of which a Christian is susceptible, mental error, self-indulgence, creature - attachments, and worldly influence. Mental error, or speculative opinions in religion, have deceived many, have robbed the church of much peace, have defamed |