about five years of age, he fell into the pit of a soap-boiler, and would have perished, if a man, who then entered the yard, had not discovered the top of his head, and immediately drawn him out. About the same time he fell before a cart, the wheel of which went over his right hand, and must have crushed it, had it not fallen between two projecting stones.

A proof of his filial affection ought here to be recorded. At an early period of life, he principally supported his parents by the produce of his labours, even to the abridging himself of the necessaries of life. His favourite topic was the character of man, and he often discoursed upon that utter dependence, yet intolerable pride, which is so observable in human nature. "We are all beggars at best," said he, "but are ready to forget it, and that is one source of our pride. Two beggars stand at a door, the one receives a penny, the other a guinea; it is well if the latter does not begin to imagine some reason of the distinction; it is well if he does not swell upon it, and turn in contempt upon his fellow. Yet this is but a picture of a man's admiration of his gifts. This view of the matter led him to be ever suspicious of himself, and glad of any hint from his friends. I find I can know but little of even the world before me, nor can I independently take a single step in it safely; what then can I do with respect to the next world without my Bible? I find myself, indeed, in the midst of a system of deep moral disorder and perpetual vicissitude: -If I listen to the philosophers, I hear them obtruding ten thousand opinions which only tend to prove each other a fool. Besides which, none of them offers any thing that meets, and much less that relieves my case. One cheering light only shines into this our moral darkness. It shows me the holy law I ought to obey, and declares my true character as a transgressor from the womb. I feel that very depravity and weakness in my nature which it describes. I have erred and strayed like a lost sheep, and feel no health in me. In such a state dare I venture VOL. III.

my soul upon conjectures and probabilities? Once, indeed, I was driven to lay hold on the only hope set before me in the Gospel from imperious necessity; but since I feel drawn to embrace it for its excellence. If infinite wisdom, holiness, power, and love, unite in appointing my ransom only through a Saviour on his cross, God forbid that I should glory, save in that alone. There I see the perfections of God harmonized, his law magnified, the evil of sin escaped. I see the worth of the soul, the vanity of the world, and the grace and grandeur of the Gospel. With a dispensation so suited to my condition, can I hesitate? I tremble at the thought of being found negligent under a constitution in which God the Father is willing to become my Father; God the Son my Redeemer; God the Spirit Guide, Sanctifier, and Comforter. Besides which, in this high and warranted friendship, I find not only motive, but strength for proceeding soberly, righteously, and godlily in this present world, and confidence to assuredly wait for a better. I have, as well as others, looked around me for some other standing, but find I can abide possible consequences upon no lower ground. I will, therefore, neither be frowned nor flattered out of a privilege of which I am so distinctly conscious. A man may as well tell me I never received nourishment from bread, nor light nor warmth from the sun! Verily it is Christianity or nothing, or worse than nothing."

FOR THE CHRISTIAN JOURNAL.

The "Act to provide for the Incorporation of Religious Societies in this State," requires that Protestant Episcopalians availing themselves of its provisions must "have belonged to" the "church or congregation" which they wish to have incorporated, " for the last twelve months preceding" the first "election" of wardens and vestrymen, under the act. This does not appear to have been generally understood, as a large number of parishes in this diocess have been incorporated without any attention to it. The in

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convenience of insisting upon that condition is so obvious, that the Legislature provided for its removal, and for confirming all the incorporations above referred to, in an act of their last session, entitled "An Act to amend the Act, entitled "An Act to provide for the Incorporation of Religious Societies," passed March 5, 1819.*

As the sections of the act which relate to this business are interesting to the Episcopalians of this diocess, they are here presented.

"I. Be it enacted by the people of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall be lawful for the male persons, of full age, belonging to any church, congregation or religious society, in which divine worship shall be celebrated according to the rights of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this state, and not already incorporated, at any time to meet for the purpose of incorporating themselves, and of electing churchwardens and vestrymen, and to proceed to make such election, and to effect such incorporation in like manner as by the first section of the act hereby amended is authorized to be done by persons possessing the qualifications therein specified: Provided, That no person not posssessing those qualifications shall be permitted to vote at any subsequent election of churchwardens and vestrymen.

"II. And be it further enacted, That all incorporations of churches or congregations heretofore formed or made under the first section of the act hereby amended, although by persons who may not have belonged to such churches or congregations for the last twelve months then preceding, shall be deemed valid and effectual, in like manner, as if formed or made by persons qualified according to the provisions of the same section."

HUMAN DEPRAVITY.-An Extract. In every regular discussion of the subjects between Calvinists and Arminians, the degree of corruption entailed upon our natural will by the fall of Adam must take the lead. Those who hold that corruption to be

so entire as to render the human will, unless regenerated and renewed by grace, altogether averse from spiritual things, and morally incapable of any obedience to the divine commands, must necessarily be brought to a dilemma, which carries them to all the consequences on which they found their objections against Calvin's decrees. This has not always been kept in view by modern divines, and it even seems doubtful, from the terms of his third article, whether it occur red to Arminius himself. Many who strenuously oppose the tenets of personal election and irresistible grace, do not hesitate to agree with their adversaries as to the natural aversion from holiness in the unrenewed mind; but they differ from them in the assertion, that grace to counteract the evil tendency is fully bestowed, not merely on the elect, but on every man. Be it so: but this grace, confessedly, is often abused. "It does not force the man to act against his inclination, but may be resisted and rendered ineffectual by the perverse will of the impenitent sinner." It follows, that where it produces not the fruits of holiness, man's will rejects and quenches it; where it is received, it becomes effectual through the co-operation of the same will. Whence, then, is this co-operative will to be derived? It cannot be from nature, because it is a good will, and goodness is excluded from the natural will by the hypothesis; and if it is of grace, it must be of special grace co-operating with the common grace bestowed upon all men equally. Here, then, we have all that the Calvinist demands; and this difficult question may be retorted upon us, Why is this special grace bestowed upon any, if it is not bestowed univer sally? And how is man to be judged; if his will is thus predisposed to evil from which he has no natural inclination to escape?

It is of great importance to observe this indissoluble connexion between the total corruption of the human will and the doctrine of personal election, when the opinions supported by our church are made a question of controversy. The ninth article asserts, that original sin is the fault or corruption of the nature of every man, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil." These terms imply a strong moral difficulty, but not a moral incapacity; they affirm that man is very far gone from original righteousness, not that he has no seeds of righteousness remaining; that the brightness of his original glory is obscured, but not that it is extinguished. The degree of natural corruption is, in fact, the basis on which the whole superstructure must rest, whether it be erected by Calvin or his opponents. The insertion and studious retention of these limited expressions on this subject, shows that the framers of our articles were well aware of its importance; and as long as the church is in possession of this vantage ground, it is an error, if not a calumny, to assert that her articles are Calvinistic while her clergy is Arminian.

Our next inquiry must be, on what foundation it is asserted, that man is morally unable, by the means either of his own natural powers, or of common grace, to will any thing that can render him an object of favour in the sight of God. The broad distinction drawn by Calvinists is this, the natural will, they say, can enable a man to perform the various moral duties of life, and to abstain from sinful actions; it is capable of " natural affection towards relatives, and humane, compassionate feelings towards our fellow creatures;" but it can incline to none of these things on that principle of obedience to God which alone can render them acceptable to him. "Of love to God, and love to man for the Lord's sake, and according to his will, fallen man is absolutely incapable except by the special grace of God."

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Now this distinction, if it is just, must be founded either on reason or on scripture. But it is not founded on reason. The same natural understanding which points out to us the different degrees of regard due to other men, according to the relation we bear towards them, and shows us our social duties and our personal obligations, renders it evident that when

these duties appear to be enjoined as positive commands by him who is supreme in nature, they must be performed in allegiance to him, and in obedience to his injunctions. Such is the actual conclusion of reason.

But the Gospel, it is alleged, directing to the right performance of our duty from a right principle, by a right rule, and to a right end, "gives the moral duties a new nature, and turns them into evangelical obedience." No; it does not change the nature of the action, but simply of the object for which it is performed. When Socrates dissuaded the youth of Athens from immoralities, as being unworthy of the purity of the soul, and when a Christian preacher reproves vice as being contrary to the revealed will of God, will it be affirmed that the different motive employed to sanction the same precept changes the nature of the action in one who conforms to it? Or will it be argued, that man, by common grace, can forbear from sin on such motives as an ancient philosopher might propose, but not on the higher motive enforced by the Christian, without the farther assistance of special grace? Surely it is not reason which leads to the conclusion, that the stronger the motive, the greater is the difficulty, and higher in proportion the degree of grace required to secure our obedience.

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The doctrine of Scripture, to which we must now turn, is never contrary to the conclusions of our reason, though often above them. There we are told, not that by our natural powers we can discharge our relative duties, so as to be useful in society, but not so as to satisfy the Almighty; but that we can "do," viz. accomplish and bring to execution, "no good thing of ourselves; that it is God who maketh us perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight." St. Paul accuses the heathen world, not because they were moral on wrong principles, for " a man will be judged according to that which he hath," but because they were immoral against their principles, and did not act up to "the law written in their hearts," being posi