nistrations have been held. There is happiness in reflecting upon the zealous discharge of ministerial duties, and in observing the kind returns with which they have been received; and it is a painful necessity, which dissolves the connexion, which has been carried on for a series of years to the mutual satisfaction of both parties, in which the labour of the ministry has not been unrequited nor ineffectual; in which the people are sensible of their pastor's worth, and the minister is conscious of the purity of his intention, and thankful for the success with which his labours have been crowned.

In the Preface to these Sermons, Mr. Hoare dwells with affectionate regret on the circumstances which attended his ministration in the town of Blandford Forum, and offers the present volume as a memorial of the doctrine which had been preach ed to his former parishioners, of the practice which had been recommended, and the principles which had been maintained.

"The general tenor of instruction, which, I may justly say, we have ever striven to maintain, may be shortly summed up in the words-Christian practice founded upon Christian principles. On both points, I trust, the two following selections will be found to speak a true and consistent language. In the former series I have wished you to discern the character of the Christian; in the latter how he is to attain it. In the one I have humbly aimed to delineate the portrait, in the other to point out the Divine Hand which must give existence and life to the original. In the survey of Christian practice, we see from what we have fallen, and to what we must through repentance be restored. In the survey of Christian principles we equally behold that which can alone, through faith, effect our restoration. Thus are repentance and faith virtually the respective ground-work of the two series; in each of which I have carefully laboured to demonstrate the assistance we derive from our own invaluable Church. Acting according to her (our) views, I might refer to Scripture itself as affording the best authority for the order maintained in this arrangement: where the great Apostle of the Gentiles, in appealing to

his Ephesian converts, that he had not shunned to declare unto them the whole counsel of God,' declares that publicly, and from house to house, he had testified "repentance toward God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ."

"I have no wish, by extending my observations in the present Address, to anticipate, what I have already, perhaps, with too much fulness dilated upon in the ensuing Sermons and Discourses. But I still feel desirous to be allowed a single parting admonition: which is, that in order to be saved by Christianity, it is necessary we should duly understand what Christianity is. If we imagine it a mere set of moral precepts, a law to be observed, and a proportionate reward to be obtained at last, we virtually re-establish a law of works, by which it is expressly declared, as the very foundation of Christianity, that 'no flesh can be justified.' If, on the other hand, we regard it as a mere exemption from the law of works, on a supposed plea of faith; or a hope of pardon on the condition of sincere instead of perfect of our own sincerity; we indulge a hope obedience: then we each become the judge of pardon on most uncertain grounds; we may still love the sin we partially forsake, and loathe the righteousness we partially practise, and in truth render the Gospel of Christ the means of encouragement in a negligent and worldly practice. Against both these errors, it has been my object, as I believe it to be the end of true Christianity, to guard you." P. ix..

This account of the following Sermons is as just, as it is modest and unassuming, and, it may be added, that it is the common character of the preaching of the Church of England. To recommend Christian practice upon Christian principles, is the one office of the Christian ministry, the neglect or misuse of which it is most unjust and uncharitable to assume. Occasions may arise, in the course of parochial duty, which may call for exhortations to duties, purely of a moral nature, the practice of which is supposed in the Christian code, and which there are no motives peculiarly Christian to enforce. Such is the common vice of drunkenness, from which the minister will labour to dissuade his hearers by exhibiting, both in public and in private,

the moral as well as the religious argument. But while the Preacher's great and constant aim is Christian practice, an elevation of character, as different in principle and detail from practice merely moral, as is an Essay from a Sermon, his chief subject will be Christian principles and rules of action, and he will dwell sometimes upon repentance, sometimes upon faith, and all spiritual aids and graces; he will sometimes separate and sometimes combine the fruit and the tree, but he will never depreciate, nor place an undue value upon the one or the other. He cannot preach Christianity as a law of works, nor when he insists most strenuously upon the conditions of salvation, will he ven. ture to pronounce that good works are in themselves worthy of acceptance, that they can claim the grace of God as a reward, that they are the justifying cause, which merits admission to his favour, or that they are any thing but the sine quâ non, the indispensable condition, without which no man can see the Lord. He cannot deny or misrepresent the perfections of the Christian rule, nor can he dwell on the terrors of the last day, without decsribing the perfect righteousness of the law and the judgments of God; nor, when he engages his hearers upon the great and necessary duty of self-examination, will he leave them to the dictates of their own unenlightened and unassisted conscience, without exhorting them to consult the Scriptures, to enter upon a comparison of their lessons, with their own pri. vate recollections, and thus to prepare themselves to meet their God, when he shall come to judge the world in righteousness.

Mr. Hoare naturally presumes on the partial kindness of immediate friends which cannot be expected from the general reader:

"At the same time he hopes for the grant of some general favour to his selection of subjects embraced in this volume; some of which, if he may be allowed to

say it, are not always treated with the full and distinct consideration which they deserve, in the many able, and, in all other points, far superior practical sermons of the age. P. xix.

While the candour and modesty of Mr. Hoare lead him to acknowledge the superior merit of the practical sermons of the age, it is not easy to conceive what is meant by the indirect allusion to subjects, some of which" are not always treated with the full and distinct consideration which they deserve." The manners of preachers will naturally vary; the style of their com position will vary; their choice of topics will vary: but their matter must necessarily must be the same. There is nothing peculiar in Mr. Hoare's selection of subjects, nor is there any thing peculiar in his mode of treating them. The principles and the practices which he advocates are all Christian. There is nothing in them which ought not to be preached, to be heard, and to be read. Nothing which, as far as our observation experience extend, is not duly inculcated in the course of parochial instruction. The publisher of Sermons has greater liberty and discretion in the selection of subjects, than the parochial preacher, whose labours are more numerous, and are often dictated by the occasions of his parish; but we have yet to learn when" Christian practice founded on Christian pirnciples," which is the substance of Mr. Hoare's preaching, is "not always treated with the full and distinct consideration which it deserves." It is an unhappy expression, and may give rise to unmerited imputations, which the spirit of moderation and piety which breathe through Mr. Hoare's Sermons is sufficient to repel.

and

The great subject of his Sermons is the Christian character, and in delineating this character he treats, in separate Discourses, I. Of the Christian Name; II.

other necessary business. The true reason is this, that they daily mis-spend or waste that portion of their time, which they might devote to religious purposes and the salvation of immortal souls. What

then is the remedy for this? Teach such men the strict necessity of giving in each day some time, some thought and attention to their spiritual and eternal concerns; then they will learn to look for moments which may be so employed, and

then will find themselves able to dedicate to retirement and to God, what else had been employed on trifles light as air, idle company, sinful pleasures, or vain amusements. By such means will a sober economy of time be speedily induced. We shall be prompted to live under the constant impression, that every moment has its value for some important purpose of life: and what is more, that every moment, as it passes on, hastens to a durable record on high, from which it will with its employment again be brought, either for as or against us at a future and final account. How different, my brethren, would be the conduct of men, and the face of the world around us, were this impression daly felt and acted upon by all. How weak and groundless would be proved the too common opinion, that business must be neglected and the world suffer, through our increased strictness. Valuing our time for religious purposes, we should also be led to employ it discreetly in temporal affairs. A real and effective industry for both worlds would grow up together, and increased usefulness to our family and friends would result from a plan, which still left abundant opportunities for profitable retirement, calm self-recollection, preparatiou for heaven, and delightful converse with our unseen God and Saviour." P. 38.

Sermon III.-The Christian in his family, follows the example of Cornelius, and acknowledges God to be the sovereign Disposer, the supreme Governor, and the righteous judge. He maintains devotion in his family in which he includes the exercise of just authority, the delivery of instruction, the exhibition of a good example, the maintenance of social prayer, and the strict observance of all family

duties.

Family religion, always important, cannot be too often or too earnestly insisted upon in the present REMEMBRANCER, No. 40.

day.

In humble life too much dependence is unquestionably placed on the public education of children, and parents seem to think their duties fulfilled, if they send their children where they may obtain instruction: and when the elements of religious knowledge have been communicated in the school, it becomes the more necessary to foster them by the religious order of the private family, whether of the master or the parent, by the cultivation of which the fruit will be matured, and by the neglect of which the root will perish and decay.

"The Christian, whatever be his do mestic station, makes account of his own superior or lower accommodations, not as for himself, but as a demand for his best services, in a full return to God. The table, the bed, the social or domestic hour, he will wish to surround with the influence of his religious principles, with a sense of the divine presence and with the light as it were of Christian practice, 'shining before men, to the glory of our Father which is in heaven.'

"And more especially this, when he reflects that to God as the Judge, at last, is to be rendered the account of all our family gifts and mercies. The Christian will have a never-failing impression of that day when every fresh instance of divine bounty now experienced will have become an additional charge in the reckonings of his divine Lord. As a steward, he will anticipate those appalling words,' Give an account of thy stewardship.' Nay, as a vicegerent of the King of kings, the Christian father or master will expect, in proportion to his vigilance or negligence in the government of his household, a just and irreversible sentence. It is, my bre thren, no small responsibility you incur in the influence you may possess, as parents over your children, as heads of families over your dependents. Their souls as well as their bodies are, in a measure, yours in trust. And shall I describe the sad condition of those at the great day, who shall have neglected so sacred a charge; who shall have sported with the dearest interests of others, to whom they were most

tenderly bound; who shall have in truth never prepared against that time, when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God; and when every human distinetion of rank and age will be done away for ever? With God is no respect of per: H h

sons. The mindful Christian will even now place himself and his family in his presence and in solemn recognition of a supremacy from which there can be no appeal, he will acknowledge the just authority of a family God." P. 54.

"But to this must be added active measures of authoritative instruction and mutual admonition. As by these means the very worst may through God's grace become the best, so without them the best may gradually become the worst, Either to make or to keep good the human heart, is an effort indeed far beyond mere human power. But the Christian house holder will never imagine that he has done bis part towards it, till he has fully and plainly set before his children and dependents the great truths of the Gospel, and represented to them the strong grounds of moral and religious conduct, to be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From such seed under the divine blessing, the fair fruit of moral culture may both in reason and in faith be devoutly hoped. But without this, what must we expect? Would that the complaints too frequently heard around us of disobedient children, of idle,

dishonest, and dissolate servants, did not furnish an answer to the question. My brethren, if these complaints arise, where the great duty of family instruction has been wholly neglected, or even imperfectly or carelessly performed, does not the unanswerable appeal of conscience at once teach us, to take the whole blame to ourselves, and might it not be justly said that these persons have not learned their duty to parents and masters, only because we had not first taught them their duty to God? the wise Christian will not choose at least to have their guilt lying upon his soul, and finally required at his hands. He will deal out the bread of life to his house

bold with the same conscientious care

with which he gives to each his portion of bodily meat in due season. He will teach them to reverence that sacred and invaluable code, which includes the duty of children and domestics, as well as of elders and superiors; which enforces sobriety, docility, honesty, industry; which teaches us in fine in all our ways to acknowledge God,' and then promises that he will direct our paths.' P. 56.

Sermon IV. represents the Christian in his Church, to which he adheres, because it is apostolical in its doctrines, services, authority, and ministry; and to which he proves the stedfastness of his at

tachment," by joining its ranks, by outward profession, cultivating warm and constant affection for its members, and using all legitimate methods for extending the influence of his Church." He is also constant in his attendance upon the Church and her services, "with a due pres paration of spirit for their performance, an uniform and consistent use of all such sacred occasions, and an abiding spiritual impression after the solemnity is concluded.” It is melancholy to reflect, that this character is not of more frequent occurrence, although as far as the Church is concerned, she has used every endeavour for the formation of this consistent character of the true Churchman.

This is certainly a subject which is not "always treated with the full and distinct consideration which it deserves" and while it may be imputed to the Church that no ade quate catechetical instruction has been provided, from which children may acquire a competent knowledge of ecclesiastical polity, there is the higher responsibility imposed upon the Clergy to supply this defect, by suitable discourses from the pulpit, and by placing in the strongest light the great duty of order and unity among Christians. The divine in stitution of the Christian ministry, its division into three distinct orders, and its succession from Christ through the Apostles to the present day, are doctrines more clearly grounded in the Scriptures, and contributing more to the peace of the Church, and the edification of individuals, than many opinions which it is the fashion to regard as the sum and substance of saving truth. The chief fault of Mr. Hoare's discourse on this important topic, is that the matter is too comprehensive to admit of the neces sary precision and minuteness of detail.

Sermons V. VI. VII. are a series of sermons on Romans xii. as it is divided into the epistles for the